Select Plants fo r Industrial Vulture and
species, and keeps better in transit. Tbe yield of fruit is profuse
(even as muob as 200 to 300 fruits in a spike), and the flavor
excellent. Mr. J . S. Edgar states, th a t bunches of this banana with
thirty dozen fruits are no rarity a t Keppel-Bay. General Sir Jo h n
Lefroy saw bunches of 80 lbs. weight produced in Bermuda, where
the^ plant bears fruits nil the year round. This, as well as M.
sapientum and M. paradisiaca, stiil ripens its fruits in Madeira, Florida
and at P o rt Jackson, where it can be reared more profitably than M.
paradisiaca. Introduced about 50 years ago by the Duke of Devonshire
through the Rev. J . S. Wiiliams to the South-Sea Islands,
and by the Earl of Derby, through Mr. Mills, to Australia. The
specific name, given by M. Loureiro, is entitled to preference. All
Musas are grand honey-plants.
M u s a c o r n i c u l a t a , Rmnph.*
Insular India. Fruits as large as a good-sized cucumber ; skin
th ic k ; pulp reddisb-white, firm, dry, sweet ; an excellent fruit for
cooking [K u rz ]. The Lubang-variety is of enormous size.
M u s a E n s e te , J. F. Gmeiiu.
Bruce’s Banana. From Sofala to Abyssinia in mountain-regions.
Tliis magnificent plant attains a height of about 30 feet, the leaves
occasionally reaching the length of fully 20 feet, with a width of
3 feet, being perhaps the largest in tlie whole empire of plants,
exceeding those of Strelitzia and Ravenala, and surpassing even in
quadrate-measuremeut those of the grand water-plant Victoria
Regia, while also excelling in comparative circumference the largest
compound frond of Augiopteris evecta, or the divided leaf of God-
wiuia Gigas, though the leaves of some palms are still larger in
circumference. The inner part of the stem and the young spike of
the Ensete^oan be boiled, to serve as a table-esculent, but the fruit is
pulpless. ^ This plant produces no suckers, and requires several years
to come into flower and seed, when it dies off like the Sago-Palm,
the Caryota-Palm and others, which flower but once, without reproduction
from the root. I t is probably the hardiest of all species,
enduring slight frosts. Of similar stature and therefore scenic effect
as M. Livingstoniaua (Kirk), from the mountains of equatorial Africa.
Two other gigantic species, indigenous to Tropical Africa, are M.
Buchanani (Baker), from the Sliire-River, and M. proboscidea
(Oliver) with an inflorescence of extraordinary length, but also with
no edible fruit in its natural state.
M u s a L iv in g s to n ia u a , Kirk.
Mountains of Sofala, Mozambique and the Niger-regions. Similar
to M. Ensete ; seeds much smaller. This superb plant requires no
protection iu favorable places in warm temperate climes, as it
advances in its native country to elevations of 7,000 feet. This
aud a Musa of Angola, like M. Ensete, form no suckers
M u s a p a r a d i s i a c a , Linné.* [M. sapientum, Linnc.)
The ordinary Blaiitain or Pisang and the Banana. Continental and
Insular India. Among the most prolific of plants, requiring the least
care in climes adapted for its growth. Stem not spotted. Bracts purple
inside. In this as woll as M. Cavendishii and M. simiarum, new shoots
are produced from the root, to replace aimually the fruit-bearing stem.
The fruit of this is often prepared by some cooking process. Very
many varieties are distinguished, and they seem to have sprung from
the wild state of M. sapientum. The writer did not wish to pass this and
the allied plants unnoticed, as they will endure the clime in warmer
localities of the temperate zone, where under careful attention
they are likely to mature their fruit with regularity. They require
rich and humid soil. All kinds demand when in continued culture
heavy manuring, to come to the best development. Plantain-meal
is prepared by simply reducing tbe dried pulp to powder ; it is
palatable, digestible and nourishing. Boiled bananas constitute
quite a good dish, serving as a substitute for potatoes. M. sapientum,
L., the ordinary Banana or Sweet Plantain is a variety. In
J a v a the Pisang-variety is grown up to 4,000 feet elevation [Dr.
Treub]. I t is one of tlie most important plants among those yielding
nutritious delicious fruits. The stem is spotted ; bracts green
inside. The leaves and particularly the stalks and the stems of
this and other species of Musa can be utilised for producing a fibre
similar to Manilla-heinp, though not so strong. The fruit of this
species is used chiefly unprepared ; it is generally of a yellow
colour. Numerous varieties are distinguished. Under favorable
circumstances as much as a hundredweight of fruit is obtained
from a plant annually in tropical climes. A t Caraccas, where the
temperature is seldom much above or below 70° F., the plantain-
and banana-plants are vory productive, being loaded with fruits
12 to 15 inches long, ou mountains up to 5,000 feet. In the dry
Murray-regions of South-Eastern Australia the winter-temperature
seems too low for the successful development of the plants except
on sheltered spots ; but bananas will ripen under the shelter of
limestone-clifls as far south as Swan-Eiver in West-Australia.
J u s t able to exist as far south as P o rt Phillip in the open air,
therefore to some extent thore still available for decorative gardening,
but not maturing any fruit. The plant matures its fruit
yet in tbe Canary-Islands. The fibre of any kind of Musa can
be turned to some aoooimt, tliough the value is various. The
banana requires infinitely less care within its geographic latitudes
than tlie potato ; contains along with mucli starch amply protein-
compounds. The preparation of starch from bananas is lucrative,
as the yield is copious. Many Indian populations live very extensively
or almost exclusively on this fruit. In hot countries the
tall Musas are sometimes reared as nurse-plants. Jamaica alone
exported during 1885 bananas to the value of £130,000, this culture
still increasing there [Dr. Masters]. The import merely from Fiji
into P o rt Jackson has been 30-40,000 bunches in a fortnight [M.