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long, and four or five months old. When smaller they are delicate ; 

 when longer they do not root so easily. As many fibrous roots as 

 possible should be secured when cutting them off the parent plant. 

 In a little over a year's time, in favourable localities, the first stem 

 flowers and bears a bunch of fruit, which takes four or five months 

 to develop. That first bunch is, as a rule, not so fine as that from 

 the second sucker and the few which succeed it. After a few years 

 the ground becomes impoverished, and needs stirring up and 

 manuring. Complete chemical fertilisers, at the rate of l|lbs. to 

 21bs. per clump, can be applied. Under favourable circumstances a 

 banana plantation remains profitable for seven or eight years. 

 Each adult stem bears one bunch, which consists of a long stalk 

 with fronds consisting of half-a-dozen to a dozen fruit symmetrically 

 arranged round it. The bunches, according to variety and size, 

 weigh from 10 to 601bs. each and over. All banana trees are good 

 bee plants. 



As regards its food value, the banana is more nutritive than 

 the potato. It contains 27 per cent, of dry nutritive matter; the 

 potato gives 25. The 27 per cent, of dry matter are approximately 

 made up of 2 per cent, of nitrogenous matter and 22 per cent, of 

 saccharine substances, with small quantities of fibre and ash 

 constituents. Of the ash constituents, potash represents 50 per 

 cent, and phosphoric acid 15 per cent. 



The plantain is gathered at different stages. When three- 

 fourth's grown it is rather milky and contains much starch. At 

 that stage, if boiled or roasted in ashes, it is almost as nourishing 

 as bread. Shortly after this stage, when full grown but still green, 

 it is not so starchy, but contains more sugar. In this state it is 

 eaten as an accompaniment to meat. Lastly, when quite ripe it 

 becomes sugary, and is then eaten either raw, roasted in ashes, or 

 in the form of fritters. 



The banana is seldom eaten cooked in the unripe stage, but is 

 allowed to mature, when it is soft, full of sugar, melting, and is 

 possessed of a peculiar perfume. 



The banana is not left on the plant until fully ripe, but is 

 out about a week or ten days before. If intended to be 

 shipped long distances the spike is cut even earlier, and the fruit 

 gradually becomes yellowish and more sugary. When transferred 

 to market it need be handled with the greatest care, as a bruise 

 that may not be apparent at the time will soon cause decay of the 

 delicate tissue of the fruit. They are packed in crates with open 

 slats, and should be stacked on deck in the open air. 



The varieties of bananas cultivated in various countries 

 may be numbered by the score. Two groups are known, viz., the 

 edible and the fibre-producing sorts. 



The edible bananas are often referred to as " Bananas " or as 

 " Plantains," and a good deal of confusion has in consequence 



