The daily morning journal and courier., 1894-08-20
WHERE VANILLA COMES FROM.
An Orchid Cultivated in Mexico and South
 America.

An Orchid Cultivated in Mexico and South
 b.. America.
 From the Boston Evening Transcript
 Of all orchids the vanilla is the one
 most widely known. and is remarkable In possessing the only specieE of the or der that has any economic value. There are about twenty species scattered
 throughout the tropics. that having commercial value being Vanilla Plani- folia; 1t Is characterznd by having a tall climbing and branching leafy stem and large flowers Of delicious fragrance, chiefly white and red Qn several eco- homie species sreen). with broad. con cave stalked lip. at the base rolled about the column, 10 which the stalk Is adnate. The dark brown pods. or fruit. are six to nine inches long. and are filled with dark. oily. odorous pulp.
 In Mexico vanilla is planted either in field or In forest. To render forest iit for growing a crop all Is cleared off but It's young saplings. which must serve as supports to the vanilla. the preference being given to trees having milky sap. Near each tree two cut tings are placed side by side In the fol- lowing manner: In shallow trench. lh inches deep and IS inches long, three knots of cutting (previously de- prived of leaves) are laid and covered up with brush and dead leaves; the remainder of the cutting. 2 or feet long. Is placed against the tree and tied to 1t. The supporting trees should be no nearer than l2 or 15 feet apart, to give sufficient room for the development of the plant After a month the cut tings have taken root and must be carefully kept free from weeds or bri- CTS of all kinds. On the third year va nilla thus planted begins to bear fruit Improperly called beans) and continue many years. When, on the other hand, a field on fiat land or river bottom is selected. the Mexicans first plough 1t up thoroughly and on 1t raise a crop of maize. While this Is growing the field becomes. 1t appears. covered with a quantity of young lactescent trees of the fig family, which. after a year. are large and strong enough to support the vanilla vine. Then the setting of the plant is performed in the manner be- fore described, and from these the fin est product Is obtained
 On the Island of Reunion the mode of cultivating vanilla is still different In Mexico, where the fecundation of the flower is left to nature, the plant is allowed to climb up the trees, while in Reunion, where fecundation is arti- f1cially performed, the plant is not al- lowed to grow out of human reach; cuttings are set at the foot of trees, the trunks of which are joined together by sticks of bamboo, so as to form a sort of lattice on which the vanilla can grow and spread freely. In no case are the trees ever cut down, for the plant loves moist ground. and equally fears burning sun. It is under these large trees that the vanilla plant is seen In its typical form, vigorous and very pro- ductive. For this purpose the prefer ence Is given to the tree producing the physic nut, owing to its easy and rapid growth and it's abundant lactescent juice well adapted to the nutrition of the vanilla plant. When the trees have a size sufficient to afford shade to the plant the cuttings are set out. The rainy and the hot seasons are chosen for this operation, as the cuttings re- quire frequent watering while they are taking root. When the young shoots begin to grow and to send out adventi- tious and aerial roots they need only to be directed and spread on espaliers previously arranged to receive them. In addition to these means of shelter the plantation must be surrounded with hedge of shrubbery for the sake of breaking the force of the winds. Af- ter two years vanilla plantation in full bearing is the result. Experience has shown that a vanilla plantation should not be worked for over seven years but in the meantime a new one is got in readiness so there may be no interruption.
 The fecundated flower dries on the ovary, and in few days falls off, leay- ing the fruit, which is called the um- billie. The fruit-which contains within it's tough pericarp 8 soft. black pulp, in which many minute seeds are imbedded continues growing until the end of the first month, but it must be left on the stem six months longer to ripen enough. The vanilla harvest in Mexico takes place in December; each bean or. better called, fruit-must be gather ed separately and not the whole cluster. If too ripe the pods are apt to split dur ing the curing, while if not ripe they lack fragrancy and proper color. The ripe fruit has of itself no odor; 1t is a special fermentation which develops the pleasant fragrancy of vanilla. When the fruit is left to ripen on the plant 1t splits in two unequal parts. and be- comes first yellow, then brown, and fin- ally black; while 1t Is drying an unctu- ous liquid of dark-red color. called ball. sam of vanilla, exudes, and when quite dry the pod is brittle and almost devoid of all odor. ''-,
 Various are the processes known for curing-there Is the Guiana. Peruvian, Mexican and Reunion. The Mexican process is as follows: As soon as gath cred the fruit is placed in heaps under a shed to protect them from both rain and. sunshine, and few days later are submitted to a, sweating process. This is carried in twa different ways. accord ing to the state of the weather If it happens to be warm and clear the I beans are, early in the morning, spread on woolen blanket and exposed to | the direct rays of the sun: about 12 or p. m. the blanket is folded around the