CROPS AK"D PRICES. 



81 



ILutIi Smith was chartered by John Pearsall of the firm of 

 J. & T. Pearsall, to transport to this city the first cargo of 

 bananas, which consisted of 1,500 bunches. About two or 

 three cargoes per year were landed after this for over twenty 

 years. About the year 1857, William C. Bliss entered the 

 banana importing business, having his vessels go from Baracoa 

 to Boston. Mr. Bliss imported bananas from Baracoa until 

 about the year 1868, at which time he was forced to look for 

 another source of supply. In 1869 he sent a small vessel to 

 the Island of Jamaica and secured a light cargo of bananas at 

 Port Antonio, leaving an agent there to encourage the natives 

 to grow this fruit. In 1870 Mr. Bliss obtained three cargoes, 

 and in 1871 five cargoes, and in addition to the five cargoes 

 sent to Boston, one was ordered by him to New Orleans and 

 another to Philadelphia."* The number of bunches imported 

 into the United States for the past five years is as follows : 













1893. 















For the 







1889. 



1890. 



1891. 



1892. 



11 mos. 



Total. 













ending 















Dec. 1. 





New York 



3,642,076 



4,758,289 



3,567,768 



3,715,625 



3,720,014 



19,403,772 





2,946,058 



3,668,462 



3,744,841 



4,484,751 



4,744,278 



19,618,390 



Philadelphia 



852,160 



1,518,865 



1,019,234 



1,818,328 



1,740,135 



6,948,722 





1,292,946 



1,602,031 



1,840,519 



1,710,005 



1,693,559 



8,139,060 



Baltimore 



358,294 



628,905 



609,668 



625,077 



1,069,438 



3,291,382 







75,000 



73,209 



190,000 





338,209 



Mobile 







130,000 



150,000 





280,000 











30,019 



43,000 



73,019 







317,798 



48.000 







365,798 



Galveston 





40,000 



92,515 



3,000 





135,515 



Norfolk 











76,716 



76,716 



Total No. Bunches 















imported each yr. 



9,091,534 



12,609,350 



11,125,754 



12,726,805 



12,817,140 



58,370,583 



The New Orleans Fruit Market. — It will be seen that New 

 Orleans is still the largest port of entry for bananas. The fol- 

 lowing sketch is from the New Orleans Picayune : "The Cus- 

 tom House statistics show 5,098,526 bunches of bananas, worth 

 $1,473,803, and 5,602,980 cocoanuts, worth $86,027, imported 

 during 1893. The statistics for 1892 are : Bunches of bana- 

 nas 4,564,025, worth $1,345,236 and 6,419,697 cocoanuts, worth 

 $97,272. These figures are interesting because there has been 

 some discussion of late over our tropical fruit trade, and an 

 idea prevails that we are in danger of losing it. It will be seen 

 that there was no loss in 1893 as compared with the previous 

 year — none at least in bananas, which is the largest item of 

 importation. There was an increase in the quantity of bana- 

 nas imported of 11 per cent* and in value of 9 per cent. If, 



* Fruit-Trade Journal, x. No. 9, p. 20 (Dec. 23 and 30, 1893). 



