A plant of the group Musa. The banana is Musa Saptentum, the plantain is Musa paradisiaca. We buy in our markets plantains for bananas, and bananas for plantains. For food there is not much difference. They come yellow and red. The red are usually larger.

The chemical analysis of the banana is about as follows: Water, 71.1; proteids, 1.2; fat, .8; carbohydrates, 22.9; ash, .1. Fuel value per pound, 480. Compare this with boiled white potatoes and we see how nearly they approach. The potato has most of its carbohydrates in starch, and the banana in sugar and starch. The sweet potato has both sugar and starch. Boiled white potato:

Water, 73.7; proteids, 2.7; fat, .2; carbohydrates, 22.3; ash, 1.1. Boiled sweet potato: Water, 69.3; proteids, 1.8; fat, .7; carbohydrates, 27.1; ash, 1.1. Fuel value per pound, white potatoes, 475; sweet potatoes, 565. Here we read the values as food of the three great staples - the sweet potato, the white potato, and the banana.

The banana grows from the slip; that is to say, they cut the plant off at the ground and transplant it. I have seen them brought from the West Indies and planted in Florida in this way, and they thrive in the southern part. The fruit is very green when cut to ship North, and suffers in flavor to that cut and ripened in the tropics. Formerly much was lost in shipping, but now fast steamers bring them in three or four days from Jamaica, Cuba, and other nearer islands, and now we are getting the fruit in good shape compared with the earlier days. Fifty years ago the banana was almost a curiosity in our Northern cities, now they are a staple article of diet, and a very wholesome one. In the tropics the banana is the eating variety, and the plantain usually the variety they cook in various ways. They are fried, baked, and made into pies and puddings. Bananas are dressed with wine, with sugar, and cream, and with wine and orange and other juices. I think the devil is the author of some of these mixtures, by which he hopes to inveigle some foolish mortals he has set his keen eyes upon.

The natives cut bananas into strips and dry them, and mash this up and eat it. We are getting now into our market a banana meal. This, I think, will prove an acceptable preparation. It may be eaten after cooking as we eat porridge. In eating the banana out of hand it should be very ripe, and it is not very ripe until the skin has softened and turned well black. Fermentation has not commenced on the inside when the skin is quite dark.