March, 1910,] 



217 



Edible Products, 



ploughed in, while the lower part of the 

 stem is left standing to decay. It is 

 generally held that a fair task for a man 

 is to cut and chop about 100 stems per 

 diem. 



Replanting. 

 In a banana plantation some planting 

 is done every year. It depends largely 

 upon the nature of the soil, and upon 

 the locality as to how long bananas may 

 be ratooned. In some districts replant- 

 ing is done every three years, while in 

 others six years is not considered too 

 long for ratooning. A field to be thrown 

 out is planted in vigorous-growing 

 leguminous climbers such as the velvet 

 bean, etc. These plants climb over the 

 banana plants and soon kill them out. 

 They are then all cut down, cut into 

 pieces, and ploughed in. After a time, 

 the field is replanted, the new .rows 

 alternating, if possible, with the places 

 where the old ones were, There is a 

 growing tendency throughout the whole 

 island to reduce the period of ratooning 

 and to replant every two or three year's, 

 as it is found that by so doing the crops 

 may be better timed for the American 

 market, as after first ratoons the plants 

 fruit somewhat irregularly. 



Yields. 



The general yield for the whole island 

 is about 280 payable bunches per acre 

 per year, but on well cultivated lands 

 325 to 330 bunches are considered by 

 most planters as being a fair average. 

 As a rule, it is held that about 65 per 

 cent, of plants should yield bunches, and 

 at least 85 per cent, of first ratoons. 



Yields depend largely upon locality, 

 soil, irrigation, cultivation, etc., and 

 vary considerably throughout the island, 

 but it is generally recognised that the 

 best results can be obtained only by 

 intensive cultivation. 



Cost op Cultivation. 

 The cost of cultivation varies slightly 

 in the different districts, but it has been 

 found that the average cost of prepariug 

 the land, after-cultivation, interest and 

 depreciation on capital, outlay tor 

 buildings, roads, etc., would amount in 

 an irrigated district from £12 to £15 

 per acre during the first year, and an 

 annual expenditure of from £10 to £12 

 afterwards. For non-irrigated lauds the 

 cost would be from £9 to £12 during the 

 first year and £8 to £10 afterwards. 

 These estimates assume that suckers are 

 readily available and do not have to be 

 bought. 



Jamaica Prices. 

 The prices given by the United Fruit 

 Company per 100 bunches to those who 

 contracted to supply a certain number 



all the year round were in 1901, as 

 follows : — 



January £6, February £7 lCs., March 

 £10, April £12 10s., May £12 10s., June 

 £11 10s., July £7 10s., August £5 10s., 

 September £0, October £6 5s., November 

 £6 5s., December £5 10s. 



In 1906, the contract prices were : — 



January £5, February £6 5s., March 

 £10, April £12 10s., May £12 10s.. June 

 £11, July £8, August £6, September, 

 October, November, December £5 per 

 100 bunches. 



I have no figures later than 1900, but 

 there has been a large increase in banana 

 production in Central America, and the 

 ruling prices are now somewhat less 

 than they were in that year. 



TALIPAT SUGAR. 



(From the Indian A griculturist, Vol. 

 XXXV., No. 1, Calcutta, Saturday, 

 January 1, 1910.) 



The Talipat (Corypha umbraculifera. 

 Linn.) is among the stateliest of 1 the 

 many stately palms of the Tropics. 

 Stalwart, stupenduous, majestic, grand, 

 —it is typical of the gorgeous glory of 

 the East where feathery forms that 

 love the light shoot up into golden 

 skies. With a varying height of from 

 40 to 80, enhanced by an enormous 

 spadix that reaches up to another 10, 

 15, or even 20 feet, its rough annu- 

 larly-scarred stupendous stem attains 

 to a girth of from 6 to 10 feet. Un- 

 like its congener, the great Palmyra, 

 it does not hug the sands of the coast ; 

 but, heading inland far beyond the 

 limits of the spontaneous growth of 

 that palm, it flourishes best on the clays 

 and loams of the secluded valleys and 

 plains of the interior. These soils it 

 loves far better than sand, these situ- 

 ations more than the garish light or 

 the salt sprayed wind of the bleak 

 sea-coast, 



Like the greyish-green Fish-tailed Palm, 

 the Caryota, it is relatively scarce and 

 almost as short-lived. Throughout the 

 indigenous regions of their growth, both 

 Talipat and Caryota are usually self- 

 sown. The hard, horny-albumened seed 

 of the Talipat germinates, however, 

 with greater difficulty; and, being ex- 

 tremely delicate when young the seed- 

 ling seldom survives transplanting. It 

 has to be sown if it is to be grown. 

 For these reasons, chiefly, it is 

 that the palm is scarcely, if ever, 

 regularly grown; so that the sporadic 

 nature of its installation will, under 

 present conditions, endure for years. 



