March  i,  1893.]  THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
599 
varieties  of  stones.  At  present  Mr.  Klein  obtains 
the  greater  portion  of  the  stones  which  he  uses  from 
Brazil,  but  he  finds  the  distance  very  inconvenient. 
This  shows  that  there  is  a good  market  close  at 
hand  for  all  sorts  of  gem-stones,  a fact  which  miners 
should  bear  in  mind,  as  it  may  lead  them  not  only 
to  institute  a search  for  such  stones,  but  to  more 
carefully  examine  than  they  usually  do  the  tailings 
from  their  sluice-boxes. — Tasmanian  Mail. 
BANANAS  AND  BANANA  MEAL. 
To  the  Editor  of  the  Jamaica  Gleaner. 
Sir, — Some  time  ago  you  published  one  or  two 
articles  on  banana  meal,  as  I was  then  preparing  for 
a month’s  absence  from  this  island  there  was  not 
time  for  any  reply,  and  aB  yonr  subject  has  occupied 
the  minds  of  shrewd  men  during  the  past  12  years 
I felt  confident  it  would  survive  until  my  return. 
Last  January  I had  placed  in  my  bands  the  affairs 
of  a company  incorporated  in  the  United  States  for 
the  manufacture  of  bananas  into  long-keeping  products. 
The  directors  had  previously  produoed  samples  of 
banana  meal,  dried  bananas,  and  canned.  The  last 
two  products  were  not  to  be  considered  as  articles 
of  commerce.  Only  the  first  was  worthy  of  attention 
but  no  one  knew  the  cost  of  production,  the  process 
by  which  it  was  obtained  was  by  evaporation.  No 
other  process  to  my  knowledge  had  ever  been  tried. 
Ascertaining  the  cost  of  production  by  this  process 
is  a simple  mathematical  problem  in  whioh  there 
need  be  no  mistake.  As  bananas  contain  80  per  oent. 
liquid  to  20  per  cent,  solid,  and  as  the  number  of 
pounds  of  water  that  can  be  evaporated  by  one 
pound  of  coal  is  no  mystery,  it  is  readily  seen  that  the 
Urst  cost  of  producing  banana  meal  by  the  toD,  oannot 
be  less  than  four  penoe  per  lb.  marketing  price  should  be 
10  oents  p6r  lb.  in  New  York  or  London,  This  is 
$20  per  bar.  of  200  lb.  Considering  that  at  this 
price  4 barrels  of  good  wheat  flour  could  be  had  for 
one  barrel  of  banana  meal,  it  is  no  wonder  that  the 
latter  is  more  talked  of  than  seen. 
Soon  after  deciding  that  there  was  no  money  in 
making  banana  meal  by  this  process,  I made  some 
experiments  in  another  direction. 
About  that  time  His  Excellenoy  the  Governor  stated 
in  his  address  at  the  opening  of  the  Legislative 
Oounoil  last  spring.  “ Experiments  are  now  being 
made  for  the  manufacture  of  banana  meal  which  if 
successful  ” &c.,  &c.,  supposing  the  experiments  were 
being  made  in  Jamaica,  I wrote  to  His  Exoellenoy 
that  the  business  management  of  an  incorporated 
company  for  that  purpose  was  now  located  in  Jamaica, 
and  with  ample  oapital  ready  to  put  iu  operation  any 
profitable  method  for  producing  banana  meal.  By 
His  Excellency’s  request  I called  at  Kings  House 
and  then  learned  that  the  experiments  were  being 
made  in  Demerara  and  that  the  cost  of  production 
was  5 pence  per  lb.  Unless  I am  mistaken,  the 
Demerara  experiments  were  being  conducted  by  ex- 
perts in  the  Government  service.  By  the  familiarity 
which  His  Excellency  showed  with  the  subject  it 
was  evident  that  he  too  had  been  wrestling  with 
this  problem  about  wbioh  so  much  has  been  said  and 
nothing  yet  done. 
Twelve  years  ago  an  extensive  fruit  drying  es- 
tablishment in  Northern  New  York  State,  having 
every  faoility  in  Machinery  and  skilled  labor  made 
experiments  in  drying  bananas,  with  the  intention,  if 
successful,  of  establishing  a plant  in  some  banana 
growing  region  in  the  tropios.  The  experiments 
proved  the  project  to  be  unprofitable.  Many  experi- 
ments of  a similar  nature  have  been  made  in  the 
United  States,  with  like  results.  A few  years  ago 
before  figuring  the  relation  between  the  cost  of  fuel 
and  the  obtained  solids  of  the  banana  a steam  plant 
was  set  up  at  Port  Limon.  It  ran  a little  while  and 
was  abandoned  as  unprofitable.  Pour  years  sgo  ex- 
periments were  made  up  the  Bluefields  river  in  the 
Mosquita  Reserve  and  abandoned. 
About  a year  and  a half  ago  experiments  were  made 
in  Jamaica  by  men  having  large  capital  and  skilled  ad- 
vice and  as  they  are  large  growers  and  shippers  they 
had  every  incentive  for  pushing  the  experiments  to 
success.  But,  they  would  not  see  any  profit  in  banana 
meal. 
It  is  singular  that  all  these  experiments  should 
have  been  on  the  single  idea  of  evaporation.  No  one 
appears  to  have  considered  the  value  of  the  juices 
evaporated. 
Thirty  years  ago  the  only  value  of  the  cotton 
p'ant  was  the  fibre.  The  waste  of  the  cotton  planta- 
tion then,  is  cow  as  valuable  as  the  fibre.  About 
20  years  ago  beets  had  no  other  value  than  that  of 
cattle  food,  somebody  conoeived  the  idea  of  learning 
the  value  of  its  juice.  The  result  revolutionised  the 
Bugar  industry  of  the  world.  As  the  banana  contains 
80  per  cent  liquid  to  20  per  cent  solid,  any  effort 
made  for  destroying  the  greater  to  obtain  the  lees, 
must  be  a thoughtless  and  unscientifio  one,  saving 
both  is  wi  bin  the  raDge  of  meohanics.  The  prooess 
is  by  compression;  The  following  are  some  of  the 
results  of  my  experiments  in  that  direction. 
A banana  when  peeled  may  be  so  dry  as  not  to 
moisten  the  fingers.  Twenty  of  them  were  placed  in 
the  apparatus.  Under  a pressure  of  100  lo.  per 
square  inch.  they  had  the  consistency  of  a thin  tapioca 
pudding.  At  200  lb.  they  teoame  thin  as  cream,  yet 
no  sign  of  separation  of  the  solid  from  the 
liquid.  A third  attempt  was  made,  and  a fresh  lot 
of  bananas  were  put  under  a pressure  of  300  lb.  per 
square  inch  and  1 obtained  a colorless  liquid  sweet 
in  taste,  sticky  in  feeling. 
The  apparatus  with  which  I worked  was  constructed 
partly  in  Boston  and  altered  in  Kingdom  several  times 
as  experiments  required.  It  was  rudely  made  and 
unable  to  give  any  greater  pressure,  but  it  demonstra- 
ted that  the  juice  can  be  pressed  out  of  bananas.  One 
mule  power  or  the  same  in  water  or  steam  power 
will  make  more  “ banana  meal  ” in  an  hour  than  a ton 
of  coal  by  the  evaporating  process  in  two  days. 
J adding  from  the  experience  already  gained  I estimate 
that  pressed  dry  banana  loaves  delivered  at  seaside  in 
Jamaica  shall  not  exoeed  ljd  per  pound,  first  cost. 
These  loaves  will  be  as  bard  as  bricks  and  as  long 
keeping  as  wheat  flour.  This  oost  is  with  the  suppo- 
sition that  the  80  per  cent  liquid  pressed  out,  has 
no  value,  yet  I have  good  reason  for  thinking  that  its 
commercial  value  is  greater  than  that  of  the  solid, 
One  more  item  of  the  value  of  the  banana  plant. 
During  the  past  25  years  the  cordage,  coffee  bags, 
hall  mats,  and  a multitude  of  useful  things  used  in  the 
Republic  of  San  Salvadore  have  been  made  from  the 
stalk  of  the  banaDa  plant. 
This  subject  had  to  be  suspended  for  want  of  time 
until  now  when  I find  that  it  will  have  to  be  longer 
postponed,  but  I shall  be  pleased  to  talk  with  persons 
sufficiently  interested  to  establish  the  business.— I 
am,  &o.  D.  F.  Murphy. 
INSECTIVOROUS  BIRDS. 
While  approving  of  the  rules  proposed  by  the  Board 
for  a close  season  for  four-footed  game  and  birds  ge- 
nerally, within  reserved  forests,  Government  in  July 
last  asked  the  Board  to  amend  the  rules  so  as  to  pro- 
tect insectivorous  birds,  which  it  considered  should  be 
protected  at  all  times  of  the  year,  not  in  reserved  for- 
ests only,  bnt  in  all  forest  areas.  Government  intends 
to  extend  the  rules  as  regards  inseotivorous  birds  not 
only  in  forest  areas,  but  throughout  the  Presidency, 
and  will  address  the  Government  of  India  on  the  sub- 
ject of  speoial  legislation  in  thematter  when  the  rules 
under  the  Forest  Act  for  the  protection  of  four-footed 
game  and  birds  are  submitted  for  the  approval  of  the 
Government  of  India.  Meanwhile,  the  Board  of  Re- 
venue has  drawn  up  a list  of  insectivorous  birds  and 
has  circulated  it  to  Forest  Offioers,  Collectors,  Mr.  H. 
R.  P.  Carter,  and  the  Superintendent,  Government 
Central  Museum,  for  any  alterations  or  additions  they 
may  consider  necessary.  These  officers  have  also  been 
asked  for  their  opinion  as  to  whether  the  predatory 
birds  whioh  eat  insects  only  when  they  cannot  get  flesh 
food  should  be  protected,  and  if  eo,  to  distinguish  them 
from  other  birds.  The  list  drawn  up  by  the  Board 
contains  the  names  of  57  bifde,  and  if  all  arq  tp  be  pj0> 
