14 
THE PAN AMERICAN UNION. 
struction work are continually interrupted. The most promising 
outlook may be turned into disaster overnight by a flood, and several 
months’ time and labor lost. 
On account of the soft, porous nature of the soil and the heavy 
precipitation, it has been found more economical and efficient to 
supply the plantations with a system of light tram lines, rather than 
to attempt to build wagon or cart roads on which to bring out the 
fruit. The distance which the bunches of fruit can be carried by 
men or packed on animals over such land is very short, especially 
during wet weather. This necessitates a vast network of tramwavs, 
with the lines only a few hundred yards apart, the cars in many cases 
being hauled by draft animals. 
After the primary construction period has passed, a large force 
of laborers is constantly required to keep down the rapid tropical 
growth and to give each section its cleaning and supplying at the 
proper time. Old drainage ditches have to be cleaned out and new 
ones dug. There are innumerable small bridges for the tramroads 
over the ditches and small creeks which require constant attention 
and repair, especially after each heavy rain, during which many of 
them are washed away. Part of this labor is also organized into 
cutting gangs for harvesting the fruit on cutting days. 
In addition to the labor involved in keeping in check the riotous 
tropical vegetation, the banana plantation must be ready for other 
emergencies. At times excessive rains cause the rivers to overflow 
their banks and change their course, which results in great damage 
to or total destruction of large banana areas, as well as heavy damage 
to the main roadbed and bridges. Occasionally a hurricane may 
sweep through a district, causing a total loss of the crop. Wind¬ 
storms of a velocity not exceeding 20 to 30 miles an hour often prove 
very destructive to banana plantations, especially to the trees bear¬ 
ing fruit ready for cutting, which, on account of the heavy weight of 
the bunches, are more apt to be blown down. Then again, a drought 
may occur which seriously retards or damages the fruit; also ravages 
of insect pests, such as locusts, must sometimes be combatted. All 
these and other conditions necessitate frequent revision of the esti¬ 
mate of the plantation output in order that ships of the proper 
carrying capacity may be supplied. 
HARVESTING THE BANANA. 
As previously stated, the trunk of the banana plant, or tree, as it 
is common^ called, is nothing more than a bundle of leaf-sheaths. 
Three or four weeks after the rhizome has been planted, the first leaf 
appears above the ground, and in the course of about twelve months 
the plant will have reached a height of from 20 to 40 feet, depending 
upon climatic conditions. Usually by the tenth or eleventh month 
