September, 1912.] 



207 



Banana Flour. 



Banana flour is made from the unripe banana, that is, before the 

 starch is changed into sugar in the ripenini*. It is difficult to peel green 

 bananas but if they are first put into scalding water (176° F.) for four or 

 five minutes, the peel is easily removed. The peeled fruit is dried in the 

 sun or put into a dryer of some kind to reduce the percentage of the water 

 which they contain from 70 to 15. The drying is more readily effected if 

 the fruit is cut up small. Steel knives should not be used as they turn 

 the banana black ; nickel blades are better. In the factory at the time 

 in operation at Montpelier, Jamacia, beloning to the Hon. Evelyn Ellis, 

 the bananas were dried in a vacuum, the interior of the vacuum apparatus 

 being heated. The bananas enclosed in this dryer were stirred con- 

 tinuously by means of paddles which alternate and move between fixed 

 knives. The paddles were moved by a system of belts and pulleys. The 

 vacuum was only a slight reduction of the atmospheric pressure. The dry- 

 ing was completed in two hours ; by this time the bananas had been reduc- 

 ed to the appearance of somewhate coarse flour with only 15 per cent, of 

 water. The mass was removed from the dryer and passed through 

 sieves containing 120 meshes to the square inch. Whatever remained on 

 the sieve was passed through a simple mill and sifted afresh. The flour 

 was packed in boxes or barrels lined with paper. The odour was that 

 characteristic of the fresh banana, the flavour agreeable and the taste 

 somewhat sweet. 



The chemical composition of the flour manufactured at Montpelier 

 was given as : Water, 15 per cent.; starch and dextrine, 73 92 per cent.; 

 fatty matter, 1*14 per cent.; albumen, 3 37 per cent.; fibre, colouring matter, 

 tannin, 4'70 per cent.; ash (containing 25 per cent, of phosphoric acid),— 1 '96 

 per cent. 



With liquids such as water, milk, broth, a mixture is obtained without 

 dregs. It is an excelleut material for making biscuits, but can only be 

 made into bread by mixing with wheat flour. 



The Lancet, February 1900, says :— " For some reason not yet ex- 

 plained, the starch of the banana-is much more digestible than are the 

 cereal starches, besides which the fruit contains a notable proportion of 

 nitrogenous material." — Indian Trade Journal. 



SUGARCANE IN ASSAM, 1912-13. 



The Director of Land Records and Agriculture, Assam, reports 



on July 26th :— 



On the average oF the five years ending 1911-12 the area under sugar- 

 cane in Assam represents some 1*9 per cent, of the total area under 

 sugarcane in British India. In Assam sugarcane is generally planted 

 between the middle of March and the Middle ot May. Excessive rainfall 

 at the time of planting hindered cultivation to some extent, but the 

 weather has since been favourable for the growth of the crop. 



The area planted is leturned by the District Officers as 34,200 acres 

 against 34,700 acres planted last year. Decreases occurred in Sylhet, 

 Kamrup, Nowgong and Lakhimpur, but there was some increase in 

 area in Cachar, Darrang and Sibsagar. 



District Officers estimate the probable outturn per acre as 97 per cent., 

 or a little above that estimated last year. The crop promises well, but 

 it is too early now to estimate the outturn accurately. 



