40 
NORTH SHORE BREEZE 
The Navajo country is a very 
lonely and not altogether safe one, 
for these Indians are jealous of in- 
truders, but it is full of interest, and 
there is much to be seen in safe pro- 
ximity to the railroad, particularly 
near Manvelto, the last station in 
New Mexico. It fairly takes one’s 
breath away to ride up one of these 
barren mesas, among the twisted 
pinons, and find a ragged Indian 
woman squatted before a loom made 
of three sticks, a rope, and a stone, 
weaving a blanket of great beauty 
in design and color, and with the 
durability of iron. But that is what 
one may see a thousand times in this 
strange country, by taking the neces- 
sary trouble, though it is a sight that 
few white people do see. The Nava- 
jo is a seeker of seclusion and in- 
stinetively pitches his camp in an 
out of-the-way location. You may 
pass within fifty yards 
‘““HOGAN?’ and never suspect the 
proximity. of human life, unless your 
attention is called by one of his wol- 
fish dogs, which are very fond of 
strangers and strangers RAW. 
If you can induce the dog to save 
you for supper and will follow his 
snarling retreat, this is what you 
may see: 
Under the shelter of a juniper a 
semicircular wind-break built breast- 
high of brush and about fifteen feet 
from point to point; a tiny heap of 
smouldering coals; a few greasy 
sheep-skins and blankets lying 
against the brush; perhaps the-jerk- 
ed meat of a sheep hanging to a 
branch, and near it pendent a few 
silver ornaments; a_ bottle-necked 
basket, pitched without and full of 
eold water; an old rifle leaning 
against the ‘‘wall’’,; a few bare-leg- 
ged youngsters filled with mirth, 
but diffident towards strangers; 
maybe the lord of the _ castle 
and a male companion or two 
playing comquian with solemn faces 
and Mexican ecards; the dogs, the 
lariated ponies—and the lady of the 
house at her remarkable loom. 
All Navajo blankets are single 
ply, the pattern being the same on 
both sides. The Navajo and Pueblos 
also weave remarkably fine belts and 
garters from two to eight inches 
wide and two to nine feet long, and 
durable and pretty dresses for their 
women. 
It may also be news to you to 
learn that both Navajos and Pueblos 
are admirable silver smiths, and 
make all their own jewelry. Their 
silver rings, bracelets, earrings, but- 
tons, belts, dress-pins and bridle or- 
naments are very well fashioned 
with a few rude tools. 
of. hig - 
IMPORTATION OF BANANAS INTO THE 
UNITED STATES. 
Four thousand million bananas 
were imported into the United States 
in the calendar year 1910. The ba- 
nana habit is a growing one in the 
United States. In the early eighties 
the value of bananas imported, ac- 
cording to the figures of the Bureau. 
of Statistics of the Department of 
Commerce and Labor, ranged _ be- 
tween one and two million dollars per 
annum; by 1890 the value had in- 
creased to 4% million dollars, in the 
fiscal year of 1900 to nearly 6 million 
dollars; and in the calendar year 
1910, to practically 12% million dol- 
lars. The rapid growth in this class 
of importations led the Bureau of 
Statistics a few years ago to call upon 
collectors of customs for the quan- 
tity as well as the value imported, 
and the figures of quantities, begin- 
ning with the year 1908, showed for 
that year 3534 million bunches; in 
1909, 39% million; and in IgIo, a 
little over 40 million bunches were 
imported. Assuming that these av- 
erage 100 bananas to the bunch, a 
figure which the importers state to 
be a conservative estimate, the total 
number imported in 1910 would ag- 
gregate approximately 4,000 million 
bananas. 
The value of the bananas imported 
in the last decade aggregates in 
round terms 100 million dollars. In 
the calendar year 1901, the total value 
of bananas imported was 634 million 
dollars; in 1905, 934 million; in 1907, 
1134 million; and in Igio, 12% 
million. These figures of the values 
of bananas imported are the valua- 
tion at wholesale prices in the coun- 
tries from which exported to the 
United States, and the average price 
per bunch was 31 cents, as will be 
readily seen by dividing the 40,192,958 
bunches imported in 1910 into the 
stated value of $12,433,334. How 
much money is paid by consumers in 
the United States for bananas can- 
not be estimated with accuracy, 
though the cost of freight, and the. 
profits of importers, wholesale and 
The Navajo smith works on a flat 
stone under a tree, but the Pueblo 
artificer has generally a bench and 
a little forge in a room of his house. 
GOVERNMENT. 
The real business of the govern- 
ment in this nation is not to be vin- 
dictive or destructive, but to establish 
justice, to deny privilege and to as- 
sure equal opportunity to rich and 
poor alike. As a nation we are be- 
yond question the most extravagant 
retailers must add very materially to 
the 12% million dollars paid for them 
in the countries of production. 
Central America and the West In- 
dies are the chief sources of supply 
of the bananas imported into the 
United States. Of the 4o million 
bunches imported in the calendar 
year 1910, 2f million were from Cen- 
tral America; 13% million from 
British West Indies; 2% million 
from South America, principally Co- 
lombia and Dutch Guiana; 2 million 
from Cuba; and about.1 million from 
other countries. Costa Rica is the 
largest source of supply in Central 
America, Honduras second, and Pan- 
ama third, and Jamaica is the largest 
source of supply in the West Indian | 
Islands. ‘The United States is the 
world’s largest importer of bananas. 
The United Kingdom is the next 
largest importer, her imports of this 
article in the calendar year 1909 be- 
ing 614 million bunches, as against 
3944 million bunches imported into 
the United States in the same year: 
Practically the entire banana sup- 
ply of the United States comes from 
abroad. Efforts have been made 
from time to time to develop the ba- 
nana industry in the extreme south 
and in California, but the domestic 
production is 
compared with the importation. The 
banana, while probably a native of 
India, is now grown in practically all 
tropical countries, and among a con- 
siderable part of the human race 
ranks as high as do cereal grains 
among the people of the temperate 
zones, and it is said to produce more 
food upon a given area than wheat. 
The consumption of bananas in tem- 
perate zone countries has increased 
enormously in recent years. ‘They 
are used chiefly in the natural state 
but in smaller quantities in the form 
of banana flour made from ripe fruit. 
Small quantities of this flour are im- 
ported into the United States but in 
such inconsiderable amounts that the 
Bureau of Statistics has not up to — 
this time found it advisable to sep- 
arately enumerate it among articles 
imported. 
people in the world. We have neither 
been taught to conserve our resources 
nor have we as yet felt the pinch of 
necessity which will eventually com- 
pel us to husband these resources.— 
Governor Dix. 
If a man can write a better book, 
preach a better sermon or make a 
better mousetrap than his neighbors, 
though he builds his house in the 
woods, the world will make a beaten 
path to his door—Emerson. 
inconsiderable when 
my 
