252 THE BANANA 



between America and Jamaica had been in the habit of 

 taking a few bunches of bananas back with them for 

 consumption on their homeward voyage and for distribu- 

 tion among their friends. But as a trade it may be said 

 to have commenced in the year 1869, when Captain Bush 

 loaded seven vessels with bananas in Port Antonio. 

 Mr. Kerr and Captain Baker were also two of the shippers 

 of bananas in those early days of the trade, and it was due 

 to the organizing genius of Captain Baker that the trade 

 rose to such importance. Ten years after Captain Bush's 

 venture (in 1879) the value of the bananas shipped was 

 32,895. By the end of the next ten years (1889), owing 

 to a subsidy of 5000 granted by the Government to the 

 Atlas Steamship Company, it had increased to a value of 

 252,114. At the end of the next ten years (1899) the 

 value was 468,580. 



The exports and their values from 1909 to 1912 have 

 been as follows : 



Year ended December 31 Stems Value in 



1909 . . 16,712,210 . . 1,403,830 



1910 . . 14,095,191 . . 1,141,710 



1911 . . 16,497,385 . . 1,456,582 



1912 . . 13,382,072 . . 1,241.187 



Jamaica exported in 1911 nearly twice as many bananas 

 as any other country, the export from Costa Rica coming 

 next with 9,309,586 bunches. 



During the fiscal year 1910-11 the value of the fruit 

 exported was 1,624,245, being 58*5 per cent, of the value 

 of the total exports. During this year exports of fruit of 

 the value of 80,860 went to the United Kingdom, 

 1,509,437 went to the United States, 29,838 went to 

 Canada, and 4110 went to other countries. 



During the fiscal year 1911-12, 82,435 acres were under 

 cultivation with bananas, as compared with 79,283 acres 

 for 1910-11, an increase of 3152 acres, the average for the 

 four years preceding 1911 being 67,573 acres on which 

 there is an increase of 14,862 acres. The acreage of estates 

 varies from 20 to 500 and 600, besides hundreds of small 



