THE BANANA. 
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Young plants are easily obtained from the suckers 
thrown up by the underground stems. 
5. In preparing the land for bananas we must 
guard against leaving stagnant water, by digging 
trenches for drainage, if the soil be a very wet one. 
On the other hand, where the soil does not seem 
moist enough, we should irrigate it if possible by 
digging canals to carry water to it. 
6. As the large, spreading leaves of the banana 
require plenty of room, we should not plant the 
suckers less than about fourteen feet apart on level 
land, though they may be somewhat nearer to each 
other on hillsides. 
In about a year we may expect to gather our 
first crop. While the plant is growing, it is usual 
to leave only three suckers of different ages to grow 
from its root, to yield fruit at different times after 
the mother-plant is cut down. 
7 . A well-known planter, in describing how his 
bananas were treated, lately wrote: “Each acre 
was weeded, ploughed, and harrowed seven times 
during the year; forked around the roots once in 
the year; suckered regularly whenever the suckers 
showed.” So we see that there is plenty of work 
to be done. “ Without pains, no gains”, says an 
old motto, and no one will begrudge the labour 
and pains given, when he has the pleasure of 
gathering in a bountiful crop. 
As the fruit very easily bruises, causing decay, 
