The evening times., 1899-10-09
THE CULTURE OF VANILLA.
Experiments to BE Conducted I'm Ha
wall and Porto Rico.

Experiments to BE Conducted I'm Ha-
wall and Porto Rico.
The Department Of Agriculture is distri-
buting a-tree.ise on the culture Of vanilla
which has been prepared by s. ]. Galbraith.
of Maize. Seychelles Islands. The reason
for exploiting the subject Of vanilla culture
is that the Secretary of Agriculture believes
that it promises lucrative employment for
many Americans in the recently acquired
islands Gt
The vanilla is plant that is native to
America, though its culture Is now carried
on most extensively and with greatest sue
cess in Bourbon, Seychelles, Mauritius.
Madagascar. and other islands lying in the
tropics in the Indian Ocean, east Of Afri-
ca as well as in the Island of Tahiti in the
South Pacific. 1t is said by the Government
experts that the competition Of artificial
vanilla prepared synthetically by chemical
methods, has not proven to be of any con-
siderable importance. The price Of good
vanilla has risen during the last few years.
The vanilla plant is climbing orchid,
the nearly mature pod OF which Is the part
known to1trade and that which furnishes
vanilla flavoring. The plant grows wild
only in the tropics and is SO sensitive to
cold that its culture can be successful only
III ieSiOuS~ dUSoiulciy liSc llOin iicot.
Vanilla cuttings are said to have been
first introduced into the Seychelles Islands
in 1866, probably from Bourbon, where the
plant was grown extensively after sugar
began to fail, about 1850. Plantations were
gradually established and ext nde1 by the
multiplication of the-e original plants AMI
from others subsequently imported, and
FOR many years now the cO.ony's prospe. ity
has largely depended on vapilla. II kept
free from disease it is said TO be plant
of extraordinary vitality, and in the Sey-
chelles, where heat and moisture. its main
requirements, are both ample, the sort OF
soil it is grown in seems to be OF no great
Importance. 1t is cultivated in the Sey
chelles from near the sea level to ], 800 feet
altitude.
The rainfall Is generally about 100 inches
that is in Port Victoria, which lies low;
in the hills the precipitation is said to be
10 to 80 per cent greater. and in drier dis
cricts, away from highlands. where little
timber is left, it is said to be. considerably
less. The fall is fairly evenly distributed
throughout the year, but dry spell. which
is necessary to bring vanilla into flower, is
to be looked for in July. August, or Sep
tember, while the heaviest rains come most
frequently In December. The range Of shade
temperature for. day and. night from sea
level to an altitude of 1,S00 feet may be put
at so to 20 degrees Fahrenheit The for
mer is said to be exceptional, and the lat
ter frequent, when the monsoon is blowing
in the early morning. The temperature
never falls below 6S degrees.
The manner CT setting out plantations in
the Seychelles has undergone changes with
in the last twelve years. Formerly, plan
taticns were seen with the rows OF vines
planted so close together as scarcely to
leave room for workers TO pass between
them The yield per acre under such con-
ditions is said to have been sometimes
enormous, but when disease once started in
plantation thus arranged, its destruction
was rapid and complete. For this reason,
the system CT close planting has been to a
great extent abandoned. Small trees are
now used as supports for the vines, these
being festooned from fork to fork, though
some planters use hardwood posts and bars
and over these bars the plants are lcoped.
Wire is sometimes used instead of horizon
tai bars.
The Department OF Agriculture VIII prob
ably conduct series OF experiments in va
nilla growing in Porto Rico and Hawaii