302 
English taste. The dried banana is no novelty to us, as for several 
years past West India merchants have endeavoured to introduce it to 
the London market, but with doubtful success, as in no instance have 
we heard of their being imported by the same firm a second time.’ 
Messrs. Mart & Co. of Oxford Street, gave a somewhat similar 
opinion: * the samples are very good, but we do not think any large or 
even moderate trade would be done in them about 25 years 
since some po Pe 2: ed bananas, in sealed tins, were sent to us 
from Jamaic d again some dried ones were sent from Ratatonga ; 
these were daite po k. On another occasion some arrived in London, 
wrapped in Indian corn leaves; they were in neat parcels of about 
1} pounds weight each, but much darker than the present samples.” 
Again in 1888 a very attractive sample of preserved Ara was 
received at Kew from Mr. W. Fawcett, F.L.S., Director of the 
Botanical Department, Jamaica. In this sample the bait W was preserved 
whole, it was of good colour, and put up in a neat small box, exactly 
like the best eye of figs. The report in this instance was, how- 
ever, not ve neouraging. In Gall’s Weekly News Letter 
August 9, 1890, “the subject of exporting preserved bananas from 
bana 
iren have been sent to ponani fruit importers in Englan 
eed bra and the reports have been of an exceedingly satisfactory 
One GE wrote :—“ I submitted the sample to Mr. Jamie- 
flavour of the fresh fruit. He is of d that if the drying process 
could be brought to greater perfection, and as much as possible of 
the fruity flavour preserved, they eid: tai the place of every other 
eie fruit, and there would be e demand for them e sa 
are getting tired of figs, dates, &c., and would eagerly turn to 
aene for a change." 
In Venezuela the best banana for preserving is the verte morado 
or red banana, because, says Diaz, “it is larger and it & better 
flavour.” In the dry climate of the lower hills the pessoal can be 
successfully carried on by simple exposure to the sun. The bananas 
must be quite ripe, they are stripped of shell and fibre and placed on a 
cloth in the sun, being turned every two hours without e them 
like the plantain ; at night they are gathered in and t ext wá 
put out again, and so on until they are perfectly timing E If they 
have five or six sunny days in succession they are good in that time." 
Tt would appear that the United States and Canada are likel 
afford as favourable a market for preserved bananas as for the fresh 
fruit. Most of the preserved bananas hitherto prepared in the West 
Indies have gone to these countries. showing the result of an 
interesting experiment tried with prece bananas. in Trinidad 
the following account of fruit, shipped to Pe: is taken from the 
Agricultural Record of Trinidad, 1891, pp. 143-144 
