THE PLANTAIN AND BANANA. 



461 



with ripe fruit ; rows whose branches are fall of blossom, and young 

 offsets, which give promise of future plenty. In the best situation, 

 three rows are counted to each cluster of bananas, sometimes four ; 

 in general they obtain five rows in two years. There is no culture 

 that can be undertaken with more confidence than that of the 

 banana," says M. Boussingault, " for if climatic influences should 

 sometimes have a prejudicial effect on the crop, they could never 

 completely destroy the prospect of a harvest, as the certainty would 

 always remain of that to be obtained from the surviving and stronger 

 growing offshots or suckers. No other vegetable production presents 

 similar advantages — not even the maize, that crop so precious in the 

 warmer regions of the globe. 



" The enormous return from this plant assures to the inhabitants 

 of tropical countries an abundant means of sustenance, and one that 

 can be obtained at a low price, as it is acquired without difficulty. 

 But in consequence of the facility with which, thanks to the banana, 

 the means of sustenance can be obtained, as the proverb runs, ' Per- 

 sonne ne meurt de besoin en Amerique,' the inhabitants have a great 

 excuse for being indolent, which they are already inclined to be on 

 account of the climate." 



The large banana is gathered at three different stages. At a fourth 

 part of its maturity, it is rather milky and contains much starch. If 

 it is roasted in ashes, or boiled in water, it forms a very nourishing 

 food, capable of being substituted for bread. If cut at three-fourths 

 of its growth, it is less nourishing, but contains more sugar ; in this 

 state, it is eaten as an accompaniment to meat. Lastly, when the 

 fruit is perfectly ripe, all the starch is changed into gum or sugar ; it 

 then developes an acid principle : in this state it is eaten either raw 

 or in the form of fritters. The banana fig, which is eaten when per- 

 fectly ripe, is rather a fruit than a nutritive substance ; it is soft, full 

 of sugar, melting, possesses a powerful perfume, and forms a principal 

 dish for dessert in tropical regions. In some countries they cut them 

 while they are green, and hang the bunches in their houses to 

 ripen. To hasten their ripening in China they are covered with rice, 

 or even with lime. The Chinese also eat the flowers of the banana 

 pickled with vinegar. 



The banana when plucked keeps fresh for a week ; at the end of that 

 time it becomes yellowish and more sugary ; in twelve or fifteen days 

 it begins to decompose and ferment. In America there are two 

 methods of preserving the banana ; the first, used when the fruit is 

 green, produces banana farina ; the other, when the fruit is completely 

 ripe produces the platano-pasado of the Mexicans, or the platano 

 curado of the province of Neyba, New Granada. 



There is a method of utilizing this plant, made use of in South 

 America, but it is defective in a great many points as compared with 

 that already noticed. They grate the fruits, having first peeled 

 them, squeeze the moisture out in a press, bake them, like manioc, 

 in an oven, and by this means obtain a coarse kind of flour. But 

 the nutritive property of this is inferior to that prepared from the 

 dried slices, for no doubt the pressure which extracts the moisture 

 expels also the soluble albumen, and other nutritious qualities. 



The next method of preserving the banana very closely resembles 



