47 



plantain trees. " Just opposite our camp were some plantain trees. 

 On making the discovery all the men were rowed across the river ; 

 they returned in the evening with a great quantity of bananas, which 

 were greedily devoured. The men were served with 75 plantains 

 each ; they were not, however, very large or substantial ; I disposed 

 of 20 at one sitting without any prominent ill-effects." 



In Mr. Morris's Report on the Island of St. Helena, pp. 26-27, the 

 following note is given on fruit-bearing Musas : " The banana is grown 

 to a small extent, but owing to the destructive influences of wind they 

 do not bear so abundantly as they should. The small Chinese banana 

 (Musa Cavendishii) is best adapted for cultivation in St. Helena, but 

 with the exception of one or two plants it does not appear to have 

 been largely tried. Being a small plant, seldom more than 5 to 6 

 feet high, it would grow well under shelter of a wall or side of a 

 house, and under these circumstances it would be more satisfactory 

 to grow than the taller kinds." 



The plantain described as " a highly esteemed vegetable rather than 

 a fruit appears to be absent from St. Helena. At least no plants 

 came under my notice. Suckers might be obtained from the West 

 Coast of Africa. It would require shelter, and a moist and somewhat 

 rich soil. The latter conditions are easily attained in Jamestown, at 

 least by irrigation." 



For general notes on the cultivation of the banana and plantain in the 

 West Indies reference might usefully be made to Dr. Nicholls' Tropical 

 Agriculture (London : Macmillan, 1892), pp. 159-165. It is interesting 

 to note that on the authority of Ovideo bananas were introduced by 

 Father Thomas of Berlangas from the Canaries into San Domingo in 

 1516, whence they were introduced into the other islands and the 

 mainland of tropical America. 



Hughes (Barbados, p. 183) gave, so long ago as 1750, a very clear 

 account of the cultivation of the plantain in that island : — 



"Before the mother tree decays two or three large suckers or young 

 trees grow up from the root. The largest of these, in about a twelve- 

 month's time, bears such another bunch of plantains as above described ; 

 and as this likewise dies, after it hath produced fruit, there springs from 

 the root fresh young shoots ; so that there is an annual succession of 

 trees without any trouble to the planter. However, it is thought the 

 most prudent method to replant them once in seven or eight years ; in 

 doing this to great advantage the situation must be rich and sheltered 

 from the wind ; and the land intended for this purpose must be dug in 

 holes 2 feet deep, 1^ broad, and 12 feet asunder. These being well 

 manured large roots of superfluous plantain trees are cut through in two 

 or three pieces ; one of these is put in every hole, slightly covering it 

 with earth, in a short time it springs up. Another common way of 

 propagating these trees is to dig up other young ones, which in great 

 number are to be found growing about the roots of old decaying trees, 

 and cutting off the top of these within 3 feet to the root, and so 

 transplant them into holes prepared for that purpose." 



Jamaica.— According to the Jamaica Handbook, 1881, pp. 181-182, 

 bananas do well under irrigation near Spanish Town. The cost of 

 clearing the land, opening irrigation trenches, buying suckers at 2s. per 

 hundred, planting, cleaning eight times in the year, and all expenses 

 up to the end of the first year was estimated at about 101. per acre. 

 The yield of marketable bunches was 25 per cent, less than the number 

 of suckers planted. " No returns should be counted upon for the first 



