!^eSS3Snn'}      Recent  Literature  Relating  to  Pharmacy.  167 
Once  or  twice  a  year  the  Matina  River  overflows  its  banks,  bringing 
down  with  it  a  vast  amount  of  silt,  which  it  distributes  over  the  low- 
lying  lands  to  the  depth  of  several  inches.  This  silt  is  a  fertilizer  of 
the  richest  kind.  In  this  district  banana  trees  often  reach  a  height 
of  35  feet,  a  height  rarely  attained  by  this  species  elsewhere. 
When  a  piece  of  forest  land  is  to  be  planted  in  bananas,  a  gang  of 
laborers  is  first  set  to  clearing  away  the  underbrush — no  easy  task  in 
such  a  clime.  Then  with  a  long  rope  are  measured  off  rows  six 
yards  apart  to  be  planted  with  "  bits,"  cuttings  from  the  banana  root. 
At  every  six  yards  in  the  length  of  rope  is  tied  a  piece  of  red  tape, 
and  at  every  piece  of  tape  a  stake  is  driven  into  the  ground  to  mark 
the  holes  to  be  dug  for  the  "bits."  The  "  bits"  once  planted,  the 
men  are  put  to  work  with  axes  to  cut  down  the  trees. 
In  six  months'  time  the  banana  rows  must  be  cleaned ;  in  ten 
months  all  the  weeds  have  to  be  cut  down,  and  in  twelve  months 
from  the  time  of  planting  the  first  crop  or  "  cutting  "  is  obtained. 
On  rich  land  the  trees  produce  fruit  the  year  round  and  keep  on 
bearing  from  thirty  to  forty  years,  and  will  yield  400  bunches  a  year 
per  acre, 
The  planters  receive  from  15  to  30  cents  a  bunch  for  the  banana 
fruit,  according  to  the  size,  and  it  is  interesting  to  contrast  these 
prices  with  the  price  in  New  York,  where,  within  a  week's  time,  a 
30-cent  bunch  will  likely  retail  for  Sio.  But,  in  making  this  com- 
parison, it  must  be  remembered  that  the  planter  runs  very  little  risk, 
his  crop  being  sure  and  steady,  whereas  the  shipper  occasionally 
meets  with  severe  losses. 
Botanists  assert  that  the  banana  is  not  a  native  of  Central  America 
and  the  West  Indies,  but  that  it  has  been  imported  from  the  tropical 
lands  of  the  East.  But,  as  the  author  observes,  it  seems  to  thrive 
better  in  its  new  home  than  in  its  native  soil. 
The  varieties  of  bananas  cultivated  in  Costa  Rica  are  as  numerous 
as  the  varieties  of  apples  in  northern  climes.  While  the  red-skinned 
bananas  are  considered  the  superior  in  the  New  York  market,  the 
yellow-skinned  are  much  the  more  common,  as,  being  less  juicy, 
they  stand  the  trip  better  and  do  not  decay  so  quickly. 
The  best  authorities  now  agree  that  there  is  no  specific  difference 
between  the  banana  and  plantain,  and  that  the  names  are  fre- 
quently interchanged. 
While  in  Costa  Rica  the  fruit  is  used  extensively  for  food,  it  is  by 
