232 THE BANANA 



fields were entirely destroyed. In 1909, 648,636 bunches 

 were shipped. The Panama disease so terribly damaged 

 the estates in that year that it was quite impossible to 

 keep the fields under cultivation ; new suckers were 

 infected in a short time, so that it was impossible to replant 

 the fields with the Gros Michel variety. In this year the 

 Manager of the United Fruit Company introduced a new 

 variety, the ' Congo ' banana ; the place from where it 

 came was kept a secret, but probably it came from Porto 

 Rico. In 1910 whole fields were abandoned ; every hill 

 was attacked ; one estate only had a few cases ; 152 acres 

 gave 33,685 bunches, for which was paid fl. 15,324.00 

 (Dutch). 



" Only a few Congo bulbs were given to the estates ; 

 the greater part was placed in nursery beds to get a large 

 amount to be divided to the estates in 1911. On those 

 aursery beds, formerly heavily infected with Panama 

 disease, a few cases (about 10-20) of the Panama disease 

 were noted in September 1910. Of course every one 

 was very anxious that the disease should not spread 

 over the new fields, but happily in the year 1911 not 

 more than a hundred cases were stated on all the fields 

 planted with Congo bananas, the acreage of which amounted 

 to about 2100 acres on December 31, 1911. In the year 



1911, 384,097 bunches were shipped ; the greater part 

 Gros Michel from the dying fields ; there were only 

 71,080 Congos. In 1912 the acreage was greatly extended ; 

 the greater part of the old Gros Michel fields were replanted 

 with Congos. Unfortunately there was a heavy drought 

 from September 1911 till April 1912, so that it lasted a 

 very long time before the crop could be harvested. In 



1912, 371,137 bunches were shipped, from which number 

 in November 30,000 were delivered ; the last shipment, 

 December 28, 1912, amounted to 28,000. 



" The greater part of the fields are planted with bananas 

 and coffee, rubber or cacao ; the banana is considered 

 a catch-crop, which lasts about three years. In December 

 1910, when the greater part of the fields were attacked by 



