Viewing page 10 of 59

This transcription has been completed. Contact us with corrections.

3
and these bear their fruit in about eight months or so. Each bears one bunch, and would then die, but is cut down, and new sprouts come up from the root. Lane, an official of the U. F. Company at Quirigua, told me that the Co. had about 5000000 trees more or less. Of these about 10% have been blown down by three heavy winds of the last two weeks. It costs perhaps 50¢ to get one bunch of bananas to N. Orleans, including all expenses of cutting & shipment. There is certainly money in bananas, and the U. F. Co. is "perhaps the most important single factor in the country. They own the telephone, and are building railroads.

I am lying in a hammock writing this, out under the [[strikethrough]] ground [[/strikethrough]] veranda of the telegraph building which has been made our headquarters here. It is built of bamboo slats, 

4
whitewashed, with a thatch roof of palm leaves & a railing around the front, and is well ventilated & very cool for this place. A [[strikethrough]] tin [[/strikethrough]] galvanized iron roof, the ambition of everyone here, is infernally hot. The building across the road where we eat has one & is about the hottest building at noontime that I was ever in.

Tomorrow Major Ashmead is expected to arrive, & then I shall be able to make final plans. I want to make the three-day trip to the City by train, to see that part of the country and get some little things -- for the folks, and I also want to make the trip to Lake Izabal. Then I can't get home too soon. Boats are running at least once a week now, to get out of the fruit from recent blowdowns. It is about 4 days to New Orleans, 2 to Wash., say 2 there to get things in order, & 1 home. I ought to be home 10 days from the time I leave here, which should be on the first boat I can get after the 5th of June. I ought to be home about the 15th.