Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1902-06-20

where there Is shade and decayed
leaves. they grow in a wonderful way
without any attention and yield the
best Of cuttings. When shoots are
checked for cropping branches. some
OF their tendrils occasionally elongate
INTO aerial roots, and should then be
cut on. or they will keep the branch
full Of sap and hinder its towering.
Short varieties OF grass seem rather
beneficial in plantation; cumbersome
woods should be hand pulled, never
hoed.
Use Of Hot Room.
During early crop gathering, before
ripe pods are numerous enough to
make it worth while using the hot
room, they are cured under blankets
in the sun, but have to be taken in at
the hottest part of the day If sunshine
is continuous. This used 10 be the
sole method of curing here, and when
used now gives excellent results in
favorable weather; but dependence
on the sun is risky. and upon the
whole the process Is cumbersome and
costly. Hand trays, that can be piled
up on top of each other and carried
between two men, are used to spread
the blankets on, fold being below as
well as above the pods, and these are
supported on low double rails to keep
them clear OF the ground. In unset
| tied weather showers have to be
watched for, and the trays carried un.
der shelter till the weather again be.
comes fair.
II there is a pinch for space in the
curing house, pods in the hot room
may be spread two or three or more
deep on the shelves and tumbled daily
| |. e. such of them as are not taken on
and resorted.
In mulChing vanilla roots, and espe.
cially at crop time, the plants are
much more benefited il the mulch be
Oh two sorts, well rotted leaf mold be
ing put on first for immediate action
and above ii layer of withored fern
or the life. which decays more slowly
When heavy top dressings OF quick
decaying manure, grass, etc, have rot
ted down, they get beaten away by
rain, the network of roots become eX
posed, and may with advantage ne
lightly covered with thin sprinklIng
of good soil. Obviously, II Is better &c
apply this before the roots become
bare or visible. The vanilla roots de
light in twisting among stones, large
and small, and ilattening against theil
lower surface when not embedded In
The soil. When these are OF conve
nient size and handy in plantation the
root circuit allowed to each vine may
be ringed with them. Vanilla may be
grown on trees OF thick foliage if.these
are of a sort that will stand being
pruned annually. Wild cinnamon
which gives dense shade. is some
times used for this purpose, the
branches being nearly all cut off each
year about pod-ripening time which
also let's the sun get at the vines FOL
towering. The contrast between for
mer somewhat dense shade, which has
grown since last branch trimming, and
the strong light let in by the pruning
seems to help toward blossoming.
Under large, high trees, wide apart
wheer to plant vines too close, vanilla
may be fixed on tripods of durable
wood, the three stakes being tieC
with wire crosswise, some little way
from their top ends, so as to furnish
forks over which the vine creeper'
may climb. High up IN the hills here
the plants may be grown in this wa!
without any shade at All, but the plaT
is only suitable for level grounds Of
moderate slopes.
TO BE Concluded)