. Agricultural news. Agriculture -- West Indies; Plant diseases -- West Indies. 212 THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. July U, WEST INDIAN FRUIT PURCHASE OF BANANAS IN THE CANARIES. The following reference is made to the banana trade of the Canary Islands in the Consular Report for 1905 :— The exports of bananas, tomatos, and continue to increase. In the early months of 1905, owing to the keen competition among , banana farmers in the Canaries obtained prices considerably above the actual market prices in the United Kingdom. In May, however, one of the largest houses doing busin
. Agricultural news. Agriculture -- West Indies; Plant diseases -- West Indies. 212 THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. July U, WEST INDIAN FRUIT PURCHASE OF BANANAS IN THE CANARIES. The following reference is made to the banana trade of the Canary Islands in the Consular Report for 1905 :— The exports of bananas, tomatos, and continue to increase. In the early months of 1905, owing to the keen competition among , banana farmers in the Canaries obtained prices considerably above the actual market prices in the United Kingdom. In May, however, one of the largest houses doing business in the fruit introduced a new system of receiving and buying. Contrary to expectations, the West Indian banana seems to have depreciated the larger-sized bunches. It was always thought (and reasonably so) that the smaller Canary bunches would sutler through the importation of the West Indian fruit, and on that expectation growers were constantlj' advised to exercise the greatest care in cultivation with a view to producing a greater percentage of larger bunches. The unexpected depreciation of the larger bunches has made it necessary to re-organize the whole system of Ijuying bananas in these islands. The method in vogue hitherto was to pay for bunches according to the number of ' hands ' they contained. In view of results it would seem that this system has been entirely wrong. Bunches of bananas vary considerabl}', not only in size, but also in their development; hence two bunches, although containing equal number of hands, need not neces- sarily represent the same value, as one might be poorly developed and the other well developed and consequently of larger size. The result is that the buyer in the United Kingdom pays more for the better bunch, whereas in these islands they are bought for the same money. The injustice of that system is apparent. Farmers who cultivated with care could not obtain better prices than those who merely ?watered their land and cut their fruit.
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