Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1902-06-14
Vanilla Bean Culture
In Seychelles Islands

Seychelle-An archipelago of the In.
dian Ocean, consisting Of eighty isl.
ands-several Of them mere isles-sit-
uated between degrees IS minutes
ana 80 degrees lj minutes :. latitude
and 81 degrees 80 minutes and 30 de.
grees 30 minutes Il. longitude, about
400 miles southeast OF Alden and 1000
miles east OF Zanzibar. Since 1881 the
population has considerably increased
in consequence Of tide Of immigra-
ton from Mauritius Men and women
Of exceptionally great age are fire.
quently met with. and the death-rate
for 1850 amounted to only 1871 per
1000. The prevailing language is a
French patois, but English is taught
in the schools.
These islands were discovered at the
beginning Of the sixteenth century. but
never occupied by the Portuguese. In
ZAP the French took possession of
them, calling htem at first Isles des
Labourdonnais, but afterward the Sey.
chelles, from Count Herault de Sew.
chelles, an officer of the East Indian
Meet. The first settlement was made
IN lI6S at Maize, now Port Victoria. In
li9l the English wrested them from
the French along with Maurtius, and
they are now ruled by board of six
civil commissioners. as a dependency
under the Governor of Mauritius. In
1884, slavery was abolished. and since
then the plantations have been in a de.
Ginning state.-Encyclopledla Britain.
nlca.
So many people have become inter.
ested in vanilla culture in the Islands
that the following article on the cul.
ture of the valuable bean in the Sey-
chelles Islands, and which is brimful
OF important information, Is given
here:
When Sugar Failed.
vanilla cuttings are said to have
been first introduced into the Seychel.
les Islands in 1866. probably from
Bourbon Tia Reunion), where the
plant was grown extensively after SUI
gar began to fail. about 1850. Plan
tations were gradually established and
extended by the multiplication of these
original plants and from others subse.
quently imported, and for many years
now the colony's prosperity has large.
ly depended on vanilla.
VaniIIa's Great Vitality.
II kept free from disease, IL is a
plant of extraordinary vitality; and
here, where moisture and heat. its
main requirements, are both ample,
the sort of soil 1t is grown in seems
TO be of no great Importance, provided
that, II 1t be very poor. the roots are
kept well supplied with manure. II is
cultivated in the Seychelles from near
sea level to 1900 feet altitude, and does
well Except for disease) at all alti.
tudes between these extremes.
On Temperatures.
The rainfall is generally about 100
is. in Port Victoria. which
lies low; in the hills the precipitation
is probably from 10 to 80 per cent
greater; and in drier districts, away
from high lands where little timber is
left, 1t must be considerably less. The
fall is fairly evenly distributed
throughout the year but a dry spell, |
which is necessary to bring vanilla |
Into fiowerp, Is to be looked for in !,
July, August, or September while the |
heaviest rains most frequently come in ,
December. Hven where rain has not !
fallen for some time the air is very
moist, and for want of more exact in. !
on this head 1t may be stat
ed that, generally speaking. in the hills
table salt will deliquesce in a
day or two If left uncovered. The
range of shade temperature for day
and night, from sea level to 1900 feet,
may be put at 80 degrees to 20 degrees
Fahrenheit. The former Is exception
n, the latter frequent, especially in
Early morning, when the monsoon is
blowing. Occasionally 6S degrees may
De registered, but seldom lower. or
soils, three very different sorts may
De mentioned. in all of which vanilla
ioes we'll here: % Rich vegetable
mold, common enough in forest land
Is thin surface skin, and also occur.
ing deeper in valley bottoms. For a
quick growth this is excellent. CD A
'reasy red clay, also in fair quantity, 4
N which vanilla makes good growth.
81 Coarse quartz sand, or gravel, ap.
arently derived from disintegrated
ranite, not common, but met with in
considerable patches here and there. II
'hough so unpromising to look at, this {
5, perhaps. the best of ALL It gives {
rec drainage to the roots, and in wet I
ears plants fixed on 1t are more like I
Y to crop than those on closer soils, /
lille with ample manuring they grow
well II
Manner of Setting Out. L
The manner of setting out panta- c
ons in the Seychelles has undergone G
langes within the last twelve years. {
plantations were seen with v
le rows of vines planted so close to. +
ether as scarce to leave room for Il
orkers to pass between them. The {,
ED per acre under such conditions Il
as sometimes enormous, but when n
sease once started in a vanillery Ii
us arranged its destruction was rap IL
and complete, so this system has b
zen mostly given up. Since the loss b.