322 QUEENSLAND AGRICULTURAL JOURNAL. [1 Srpr., 1901. 
without any packing, while those from the Canary Islands are always carefully 
packed in crates, with wrappings of cotton wool. As bananas require to be 
kept at an even and fairly high temperature until they are ripe, Elder, Dempster, 
and Co., who have undertaken the shipment, issued the following notice to the 
leading merchants in the London and provincial markets a day or two ago :— 
“In view of the importation of Jamaica bananas into England without an 
packing being a new departure, and the fact that these bananas will eventually 
find their way into the hands of dealers who have never stocked this fruit 
before, we think it would be as well if you were to advise all your customers 
that the following instructions should be carefully attended to:—(1) Never 
allow the temperature in which they are kept to go below 60 degrees or above 
75 degrees until the fruit is ripe; (2) keep the fruit out of any cold draught, 
which will always affect the colour when ripe; (8) in hanging up the bunches 
always hang them with the stem downwards, as the fingers will remain longer 
on the stem in this position. We hope shortly to send you some prettily 
illustrated pamphlets about the West Indian fruits generally, but meanwhile 
think you had better give all your customers the above instructions, which are 
essential to the successful ripening of bananas.” The fruit on its arrival in 
this country was in good condition, but it seems to have sustained a good deal 
of damage from the way it has been dealt with after unshipment. 
Lying loose on a railway truck on a bed of straw many of the unripe 
bunches were chilled, with the result that some of them will not ripen, while 
in many of the others a large proportion of the goods will bear black spots, 
which will reduce the retail value of the fruit and affect its keeping qualities 
on ripening. The best-kept banana has a clean-looking yellow pod with green 
ends. Owing to the want of crates, the handling of the bananas by smaller 
purchasers in the trade was rendered difficult, and the risk of further damage 
by cold was increased. Dealers in the immediate neighbourhood of the market 
who have facilities for storing the fruit in warm rooms may be able to make 
something out of the better-kept bunches, but generally speaking the trade has. 
not fallen in love with the West India banana. ‘hey do not speak very highly 
of its quality, one leading merchant speaking of the taste of the Canary Island 
banana as compared with that of the Jamaica variety as being like a green pea. 
compared with a grey pea. Some who have bought bunches of the West India. 
fruit ripe, however, report that the flavour leaves little, if anything, to be 
desired. Bunches containing from 5 dozen to 12 dozen pods sold in the 
Birmingham market at from 2s. to 8s. each; while some of the finer lots 
purchased in small quantities for immediate sale went as high as 10s. There 
was a good demand until the disadvantages arising from the want of packing 
began to be realised. It is clear that either the West Indian exporters will 
have to take to packing the bananas or arrangements will have to be made for the 
packing them on unloading if they want to dispose of the fruit in this country 
to advantage. In the summer bananas might come safely without packing, but 
there is little orno demand for them then. If consignments continue to come 
in their present form, it seems likely that the greater part will go to the street 
hawkers rather than to the first-class shops. 
The moral for Queensland fruitgrowers is the burden of Mr. Benson’s 
song: Learn to grade, sweat, and pack, and success will eventually be 
achieved. 
A MOVING SHEEP PEN. 
Some interesting experiments have been carried on at the Michigan 
Agricultural College, Lansing, in grazing sheep in a moveable, bottomless 
pen. The sheep enclosed in it can only get at the grass or lucerne in front of 
them, and thus none is wasted by their trampling it down. The pen is rolled 
_ forward as the feed is eaten down. By this means it is claimed that over 
1,000 lb. of meat can be produced on one acre of lucerne. 
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