SOUTH AMERICA 221 



the case of vigorous plants, in order to replace successively 

 the stems which have borne fruits. 



" It is calculated that on an average each stool of Massao 

 in a plantation can give annually at least five or six fine 

 bunches ; and notwithstanding that these plants have 

 been set out at a distance apart at least double those of 

 the Catura, their product is nevertheless more considerable 

 than that of the Catura. On comparing the yield of a 

 plantation of one thousand stools of Massao banana with 

 that of the same number of the Catura, one can easily 

 account for the superiority of the first over the second 

 from the point of view of production. One thousand stools 

 of the Catura produce annually from 2000 to 3000 bunches, 

 say on an average 2500 bunches of an average weight of 

 35 Ibs. Bunches of the Catura weighing 44 to 55 Ibs. are 

 in fact exceptional, and many bunches only weigh 26 Ibs. 

 In ten years, which is the ordinary duration of a plantation 

 of Caturas, there will have been harvested 25,000 bunches 

 of a total weight of 9,600,000 Ibs. During a similar 

 period of ten years, 1000 stools of the Massao will have 

 produced 55,000 bunches that is, 5500 bunches per 

 annum; which, taking the average weight of 23 Ibs. 

 per bunch, makes a total of 18,150,000 Ibs. in ten years. 

 It will be seen therefore what an enormous difference 

 exists between the production of the Caturas and that of 

 the Massaos. The commercial usages of Southern Brazil 

 make this difference still more sensible, and for this reason : 

 the bunches are not sold by weight, but always by the 

 dozen ; it is therefore much more advantageous for the 

 producer to harvest a very large number of bunches, having 

 dimensions and a weight sufficiently marketable, than to 

 obtain only a small number of bunches, even though they 

 may be much heavier. It will not do, however, to push 

 this reasoning to the extreme, for fine bunches are more 

 easily sold and have the preference over others. Finally, 

 when the period of ten years indicated above shall have 

 terminated, it is quite probable that the Caturas will be 

 almost entirely exhausted, and the plantation will require 



