The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1894-08-17
CULTURE GU OF VANILLA
AN ORCHID CULTIVATED IN MEXICO
, AND SOUTH AMERICA.

Planted and the Fruit Cured-Methods
Vary According to Locality, but the Proc
ess In Any Case Is Very Interesting.
Of all orchids the vanilla is the one
| most widely known and is remarkable in
possessing the only species of the order
| that has any economic value. There are
about 20 species scattered throughout the
tropics, that having commercial value be-
ing Vanilla planifolia. 1t is characterized
by having a tall climbing and branching
leafy stem and large flowers of delicious
fragrance, chiefly white and red Qn sew
pral economic species, green), with
broad, concave stalked lip, at the base
rolled about the column, to which the
stalk is adnate. The dark brown pods,
or fruit, arc to 8 inches long and are
filled with dark, oily, odorous pulp.
In Mexico vanilla is planted either in a
field or in forest. To render a forest fit
for growing crop all is cleared off but
its young saplings, which must serve as
| supports to the vanilla, the preference be-
ing given to trees having milky sap
| Near each tree two cuttings are placed side
by side in the following manner: In a
shallow trench II inches deep and 16
inches long three knots of cutting, pre-
viously deprived of leaves, are laid and
covered up with brush and dead leaves
The remainder of the cutting-2 or 8 feet
| long-is placed against the tree and tied
to it. The supporting trees should be no
| nearer than IL or Is feet apart to give
sufficient room for the development Of the
plant. After month the cuttings have
| taken root and must be carefully kept free
| from weeds or briers of all kinds. On the
third year vanilla thus planted begins to
l Iir,,,N WV an1Ia oh
continues many years. When, on the other
hand q field ON fiat land or river bottom
| Is selected, the Mexicans first pillow it up
thoroughly and on it raise a crop of maize
While this is growing the field becomes,
| it 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.
On the island of Reunion the mode of
cultiyating vanilla is still different. In
Mexico, where the formulation of the flow
| er Is left to nature, the plant is allowed to
| climb up the trees, while in Reunion,
| where the formulation is artificially per-
| formed, the plant is not allowed 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 sort of lattice on which the va
nilla can grow and spread freely In no
| case are the trees ever cut down, for the
| plant loves moist ground and equally
| fears u burning sun. 1t Is under these
large trees that the vanilla plant is seen
| In its typical form, vigorous and very pro-
| ductive. In the second case the planter
must first proceed to grow the supports of
his future plantation. For this purpose
the preference is given to the tree pro-
| ,J,,,ipr, bn nbCSic mt pNviOu RI tS naSv
and rapid growth and its abundant lac
tescent juice well adapted to the nutri-
ton 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 require
! frequent watering while they are taking
| root.
| When the young shoots begin to grow
up and to send out adventurous and aerial
roots, they need only to be directed and
| spread on espalierS previously arranged
| to receive them. After two years va
nilla plantation in full bearing is the re-
| suit. Experience has shown that vanilla
plantation should not be worked for over
seven years. but in the meantime now
| one Is got in readiness SO there may be no
| interruption.
The formulated flower dries on the ovary
| and in IL few days falls off, leaving the
| fruit, which is called the unbilic. The
fruit which contains within its tough
pericarp II soft, black pulp, in which many
| minute seeds are imbcddcd, continues
| growing until the end of the first month,
but it must be / It on the stem six months
| longer to ripen enough. The vanilla har-
vest in Mexico takes place in December.
Each bean-or, better called, fruit-must
be gathered separately and not the whole
| cluster. If too ripe, the pods are apt to
| split during the curing, while if not ripe
they lack fragrancy and proper color. The
ripe fruit has of itself no odor-it is Il
special fermentation which develops the
pleasant fragrancy of the vanilla. When
the fruit is left to ripen ON the plant, it
| splits in two unequal parts and becomes
| first yellow, then brown and finally black.
| While it is drying All unctuous liquid of a
dark rcd color called balsam of vanilla,
exudes, and when quite dry the pod Is
| brittle and almost devoid of all odor.
Various are the processes known for
| cllring-therc is the Guiana, Peruvian,
| Mexican and Reunion. The Mexican
process is as follows: AS soon US gathered
| the beans are placed in heaps under shed
| to protect them from both rain and sun,
| shine, and u few days later are submitted
| to sweating porcess. This is carried out
| In two different ways, according to the
state of the weather. If it happens to be
| warm and clear, the beans arc early In
| the morning spread on n wooden blanket
and exposed to the direct rays of the sun.
| About II H. or p. IN. the blanket is folded
| around the beans, and the bundle Is left
| In the sun for the remainder Of the day.
Tn, fha oil thn mods inc1nSnf
| In tight boxes, so that they may sweat the
whole night The next day the beans are
| again exposed to the sun. They thus ao-
| quire n dark coffee color, the shade being
. deeper brown in proportion to the suo-
cess of the sweating operation. Should
| the weather be cloudy the vanilla is made
into bundles and number of these packed
| together into small BALE which is first
wrapped with wooden cloth, then with
banana leaves over 1t, and finally with
stout mating, which is bound firmly and
| Eprinkled with water.
An oven is now heated to 140 degrees
| F., and the bales containing the larger
| beans are placed in it. When the temper
AZURE has been decreased to 113 degrees
| F., the smaller beans are introduced, and
| the oven is closed tightly. After "a hours
| the smaller beans are taken from the oven
| and II hours later the larger ones. Dur
| ing the process the vanilla has sweated
and acquired Il fine maroon color.
Now the drying, most delicate opera
ton, must be attended to with great care
| The beans are spread on mating and e1-
| posed to the sun during nearly two
| months When the drying is nearly COM
| plete it is finished in the shade in a very
dry place boston Transcript.
mountain Sickness.
M. Regnard is French savant who haa
been investigating the causes of mountain
sickness He took two normal fowls, in
] default of willing Alpists and put them
under a vacuum pump, with diminution
| Of pressure corresponding to an altitude OF
| 10, 900 feet. One of the fowls was allowed
| to take its case; the other had to turn
sort Of squirrel cage. The one that was
exerting itself showed signs Of sickness,
while the other remained unaffected.
| When the vacuum was increased to point
corresponding with barometric pressure at
| 2, 900 feet, both the fowls gave out and re-
signed themselves to die. The idle one,
however, was very shortly restored on be-
ing released whereas the other went
through protracted and uncomfortable
illness. The inference is that mountain
| sickness is as much due to fatigue and
wear Of tissue as to rarity of the atmos
phere, and that If lifts or balloons could
| be applied to the Himalsyas, for instance,
mountaineering would be deprived Of one
| of its most unpleasant features Mall
| Gazette
Monkey Intelligence.