Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 02.djvu/522

BAN. (3 vols., Belgrade. 1847). From 1840 till l8o3 he published the literary magazine Diibrovnik, at the city of the same mime. Besides a drama, Meirhna, he published in his native tongue Various Songs (1853), mostly on erotic and po- litical themes, and the following year was ap- pointed instructor in French and Italian at the Belgrade Lyceum. The adverse criticism evoked by his ode addressed to the Sultan forced him to resign this post and spend the rest of his life m literary labors and travel. Among his tragedies the most noteworthy are Dohrilo and Milenlcd : Tsar Lazar: The Death of Prince Dohroslav; Jan Bks (1884): Martha the Htathohler ; or, The Fall of Xorgorod the Great (1881).

BANA, ba'na. A thousand-armed deity in Hindu mvthology. His arms were cut off by Krishna, but his life was spared by the inter- position of Siva (q.v.) who was his friend.

BANA (seventh century A.D.). A Sanskrit autlior. His gi-eatest works Avere two novels, the II, rrshacarita^ or Adrcnturcs of Harsha, a his- torical romance, and the Kadainliarl. Both ot r.ana's stories are largely indebted to the Vasa- radatta of Subandhu (q.v.). He also vrot« the Parvattparinayanatakam. or Parrati's Marriane, based on the kumarasamhhara of Kalidasa (q.v.) and a farce, the Sarracarita. A lost drama by him entitled Mukutataditaka is mentioned, and some have ascribed to iiim the Buddhist play ya.gS-nanda, or Joy of Serpents, usually attributed to Hai-sha or to Dhavaka. Bana's lyrics are con- tained in his Caiiduiataka, or Century of Durga.

BANAK, biin'ok, or BANNOCK (native name jian-iti). A warlike tribe of Shoshonean stock, formerly roving over southern Idaho and eastern Oregon, and now concentrated upon the Fort Hall and Lemhi reservations, Idaho. Their lan- guage is the same as that of the Piute of Ne- vada. The Baiiaks of Lemhi number only dO. Those at Fort Hall are confederated with the Shoshoni, the two tribes together numbering 1400 persons, "so intermarried and related to each other that it is nearly impossible to distinguish one from the other." after attaining a height of 3 feet, by cutting them loose with a spade; such plants should be set deeply in rows 8 to 12 feet apart, so that the broad leaves will shade the ground. It can be increased by root-cuttings planted shallow and covered with ' peat or peaty compost. Young plants of this sort must be transplanted to full licht, and be given ample room as soon as two or three leaves have formed. The banana begins to bloom in 1% to 2 years after being established. The rtower-bud is a" peculiar, large heart-sliaped formation which, on developing, exposes a true (lower under each of its scales. From 50 to 150 of these may be developed in a single bud, from which a bunch containing as many bananas will develop. The ]ilant grows from 10 to 40 feet in height and carries a whorl of broad orna- mental leaves at the top of the stalk. A stalk bears but once, dies down, and is replaced by- sprouts, 2 or 3 of which are allowed to bear. The species grown for their fibre, as well as those grown for ornament, usually produce seed, while the edible banana of commerce is seedless. Those which bear seeds are usually propagated liy seeds, as it is more economical. Dwarf sorts- are chiefly used for ornamental planting and landscape effect.

There are many varieties of the banana, but the variety most" commonly gro«Ti is the Mar- tinique, a" large yellow fruit growing in large dense clusters. The hara^oa, or Red Jamaica, is now but sparingly grown as compared with a few years ago, and is seldom exported. The" consumption of bananas in the United States alone has developed from a few hundred bunches, in 1870, to .$5,00,000 worth, in 1899. The fruit comes chiefly from the West Indies and Central America, although some is produced in Florida, Louisiana, and California. Banana flour is rapidly becoming a staple article of com- merce. See also Plantain. For illustration, see Breadfruit Tree.

BANANA-BIRD, The name of several birds which feed on bananas. In the American tropics any species of oriole ileteriis) or a hangnest may be so called, though this is a book-name rather BANANA, ba-na'na. The only seaport of the tlian one in common use. (See Oriole.) In Ja- Congo Free State, and situated on a small penin- ^aica and the Antilles, the small honey-creepers sula on the western coast of Africa, at the mouth ^^ ^j^^ genus Verthiola are popularly called of the Congo (Map: Congo Free State, B 4) The town contains a number of foreign factories, and has a white population of about 120. The port is connected by steamsliip lines with Ham- hurff. Liverpool, and Antwerp.

BANANA, ba-nii'na ( Sp. the fruit of the tree lu)irino). A name applied alike to the well- known fruit and to the plant which bears it. The specific name, Musa stipientium, signifies 'muse of the wise,' and is intended to convey an al- lusion to a statement l>y Theophrastus concerning a fruit which served as food for the wise men of India, and which, from his description, is sup- posed to have been the plantain or banana. The names plantain and banana are somewhat vaguely used in their application to different cul- ti^ted varieties. The banana is a tropical plant grown for its fruit, fitirc and the beauty of its foliage. It is evidently of Indian origin, but is now extensivelv cultiv"ated in all tropical coun- tries of the world. It is a large herbaceous plant with a perennial root or rhizome, from which the plant is perpetuated by sprouts or suckers. The voung plants may be transplanted banana-quits (see Plate of Creepers), and the African plant-eutters — glossy black, cuckoo-like birds of the genus :Miisophaga — are styled ba- nana-eaters.

BANANA FAM'ILY. See Musace.e.

BANANA-FISH. See Ladyfish.

BANANAL, bii'na-nal' (also called Santa Anna). An island lying in the Rio Araguaya, Province of Goyaz, Brazil (Map: Brazil, G 0). It is over 200 'miles long, with a width of 35 miles; has a fertile soil and forests of valuable woods. North of the centre is a lake of consid- erable size.

BANAS, ba-niis', or BUNAS, bunas'. A river of R.ajputana, near the Aravalli Hills, and joining the Chambal after a northeasterly course of over 300 miles (Map: India, C 3).

BANAT, ban'at, Gcr. pron. ba-niif (for derivation see Ban ). A common name applied to any district or territory under the administration of a ban, but specially used in connection with a district of southern Hungary comprising