Another sub-variety of plátanos bears, in Mosquitia, the name of “butuco,” perhaps from the name of the River Patuca--or maybe the river has taken its name from the banana. The butuco is perhaps rather more tart than the miel silpe, and when fried reminds one of fried greening apples, and when stewed has somewhat of the flavor of stewed peaches. In either way it is most agreeable to the taste. There are other plátanos, also, most of them giants among bananas, many being fifteen or more inches long and some two or three inches in diameter. These are firm in flesh, resist decay much longer than do the common guineos, and will, therefore, much better bear transportation. They should become known to the millions of northern lands, for they would afford a vast supply of food much more convenient and palatable than, and equal in value to, potatoes. Prof. Wynter Blythe, of London, is an analyst who tells us that the relative values of bananas and sago, corn meal and wheat flour are as follows: =========================+=========+===========+=========+============ Constituents | Banana | Sago |Corn Meal|Wheat Flour -------------------------+---------+-----------+---------+------------ |Per Cent.| Per Cent. |Per Cent.| Per Cent. Water | 8.05 | 13.00 | 11.09 | 15.08 Soluble albumen dextrine | 4.45 | | | Starch | 82.57 | 78.06 | 85.30 | 81.60 Albumenoids | 2.28 | 2.57 | 2.37 | 2.11 Fat | 0.77 | | | Ash | 1.88 | 0.53 | 0.43 | 0.35 =========================+=========+===========+=========+============ In a report on the constituents and food values of most articles in common use on northern tables, the United States Department of Agriculture gave, in the year 1903, very valuable figures which show that nineteen vegetables and ten varieties of fruits which make up the chief of our diet, have the following parts and values: ======================+==========+========+========= Elements |Vegetables| Fruits | Bananas ----------------------+----------+--------+--------- Carbohydrates, parts | 8.9 | 11.1 | 14.3 Fats | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.4 Protein | 2.0 | 0.6 | 0.8 Ash | 0.9 | 0.5 | 0.6 Water | 73.0 | 64.3 | 48.9 Refuse | 14.8 | 23.1 | 35.0 Fuel values | 203.9 | 204.0 | 260.0 ======================+==========+========+=========