Edible Products. 



514 



[June, 1912. 



chills of November. December, and 

 January. The land in most cases being 

 richer than in the lowlands, and the 

 rainfall more copious and evenly dis- 

 tributed throughout the growing period, 

 the plants have plenty of time from the 

 end of February when planted, to October 

 to make their full growth. All those 

 who give against this proposition, I 

 would ask to try planting in both 

 months, viz,, October and end of 

 February, or first week in March, choos- 

 ing land of equal fertility, and giving 

 both the same cultivation. I do not 

 wish to imply that bananas planted in 

 October will not meet the good prices, 

 but with this practice you have two 

 extra cleanings, and the suckers will 



1. Sucker planted October marketed 



probably shoot the following October, 

 such bunches in the higher hills taking 

 five and a half to six months to reach 

 maturity, and even at that, possessing 

 small ill-shaped fingers and an unpre- 

 possessing dark green colour, whereas 

 fruit planted from February to April 

 start shooting in January to March, 

 taking from two and a half in the case of 

 the later shoot to three and a half 

 months for the earlier period to get to 

 the round full stage. The following 

 table represents two results of tests for 

 the time taken by fruit to mature from 

 date of shooting. The tests were con- 

 ducted in the higher mountains of St. 

 Ann, and the fruit was grown on rich 

 alluvial clay : — 



round full fruit March, 



2. 

 3. 

 4. 

 5. 

 6. 

 7. 



November 



December 



January 



February 



March 



On the lower slopes and levels adjacent 

 to the sea coast, suckers shooting in 

 October, November, and December, 

 mature about a month earlier. 



Distances. 

 Fields, wherever practicable, should be 

 lined, so as to have each stool equidistant 

 from one another. This need not be an 

 expensive operation, as the small culti- 

 vator, with a rod cut to the required 

 length, and some withes knotted to- 

 gether, can do quite accurate lining, or 

 at any rate sufficiently so for all practical 

 purposes. The rows should run at right 

 angles, or square to one another. An 

 easy method of laying out a right angle 

 is the following. Stretch your head or 

 first line down the longest, and if 

 possible, the most level side of your 

 field. Stick in peg No. 1 at any 

 part of this line, the centre for reference. 

 From peg No. 1 measure six feet along 

 the line, and place another peg, No. 2. 

 Again from No, 1 measure another dis- 

 tance eight feet, as near square with 

 pegs No. 1 and 2 as possible. Pub in 

 another peg, No. 3; the distance between 

 No. 2 and 3 should be ten feet, if rot, 



April 

 May 

 June 



move No. 3 peg in the necessary direction 

 until you get that distance, being parti- 

 cular that the distance between No. 1 

 and 3 has not varied from eight feet 

 the angle formed by pegs No. 2, 1, and 3, 

 will be a right angle. Attach a line 

 from No. 1 past No. 3 just barely touch- 

 ing the latter, and peg along both lines 

 from No. 1 your required distance, the 

 balance is plain sailing. 



I would advocate the following dis- 

 tances, either one of which will give 

 good results : 14 x 14 planting to separate 

 suckers to each hole, which gives you 

 222 holes to the acre or 444 suckers, and 

 11 x 11, a single seed sucker to each hole, 

 or 361 per acre. Some planters advo- 

 cate 12 x 12, carrying two suckers to each 

 stool, but this distance I would never 

 advise, except only one sucker be carried 

 in every alternate stool, the opposite 

 stool in adjacent rows carrying two 

 each, so that the one carrying two will 

 always face that having only one. If 

 you attempt to grow over 450 suckers 

 per acre, although your land may be 

 so fertile that you get, a good proportion 

 of straights, and there might be a chance 



