Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-03-18
CAN BE GROWN HERE
Experiments With the Va.
nilla Bean.
SUCCESS AT MIAMI, FLA.
OPERATIONS OF AGRICULTURAL
DEPARTMENT EXPERTS.
Encouragement of Coffee Culture in
the NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. From
Proposed Tax.


1.-THE Department of Agriculture has dem
onstrated that the vanilla bean can be pro-
duced in the United States, and in time,
when the industry has reached its growth,
the half million dollars that now go out OF
the country in payment for this indispen-
sable product will remain at home.
This announcement, made by Secretary
Wilson of the Department of Agriculture To-
cay marks the close of long series of sue
.cessful experiments at the agricultural ex-
pertinent station at Miami, Fla. On the
Secretary's desk today were several vanilla
beans from plant which had been brousht
to q high state of cultivation at Miami, ana
there is apparently no reason why the prod
uct should not be generally and successfully
grown all over that section of the south
which has a hot, moist climate, with an
abundant rainfall, or where irrigation can
be brought into play.
Cultivation of the Vanilla.
Although the vanilla is a plant native TO
America it's culture has up to the present
time been carried on most extensively ana
successfully in Bourbon, Seychelles, Maurl-
thus Madagascar and other islands lying III
the tropics, in the Indian ocean east OF
Africa. as well as in the Island of Tahiti, In
the South Pacific.
The vanilla is a climbing orchid the near
ly mature pod of which is the part known
to trade and that which furnishes Vanliia
fiavoring The plant grows Wlid oniy III 'ie
tropics and is SO sensitive 10 colo .hat ~
was thought until very recently that Its Gull
ture could be successful only IN regions
where frost is absolutely unknown Inc ae-
partment, however has managed TO reiiuel
the plant more hardy by CULTIVATION aiohs
scientific lines and there is now no doup.,
according to the department experts, ina. ~
can be successfully and profitably cultivated
in many of the southern states.
Destructive to the Vanilla.
The competition of artificial vanilla, pre-
nared svnthetically by chemical methods,
has not proved to be of any conslderaoie
Importance. Indeed, the price OF gooo va
niIIs has risen in recent years, because OF
the rayages of disease to which the plant
is peculiarly subject, in the islands WheIe
it is principally grown. Inc disease
ferred to is of fungus origin, or great ue
structiveness and spreads CURING ,me 7,s nu.
weather very rapidly, frequently causing
the total destruction of large plantations IA
a month In recent years it mas seriously
crippled the vanilla industry IN Seychelies
Bourbon and other ISLANDS Oh the lhui"n
ocean. 49,.
The experts of the Agricultural Depart
ment think that an industry which yleioeo
to the small island of Tahiti in 1897, Slf2,
to Reunion $500, 563 in 1892, is certainly
worthy of the serious attention OF prospec-
tive cultivators.
Incidentally it may be mentioned that
officials of the Agricultural Department are
much interested in the possible outcome OF
the visit to be made to the philippines tne
coming summer by Secretary Tart and a
party of senators and representatives, in
Guiding Speaker Cannon and Representative
Payne, chairman of the House ways and
means committee. 1t is proposed that these
gentlemen shall study the possibilities OF
coffee culture in the islands while there
and it is expected that they will become en-
thusiastic over the prospects.
Coffee From the Philippines.
In this connection it may be said that
the thoughts of some of the House leaders
have turned to coffee and tea as taxable
possibilities, and therefore important as
concerns the existing deficit, and it is be-
leved that a suggestion made to the ways
and means committee in the hearings on
the Curtis bill to reduce the duty on Philip
pine tobacco and sugar will beam effective
answer to any charge OF taxing the poor
mans coffee pot" This suggestion was
that instead of encouraging the F1iipinoS
to compete with American sugar and to-
bacco interests by granting them free
entry they should be encouraged to pro-
duce semi-tropical products which could
never be raised in the United States with
success and which are now imported in
large quantities from semi-tropical coun-
tries. Rubber, spices and fiber were men
toned, but especially coffee, of which inn
menSe quantities are imported into the
United States, and which, it was represent
ed could be produced in Porto Rico and
the Philippines. By the imposition of a
slight tariff on foreign coffee and admitting
coffee from the insular possessions free OF
duty, it was argued that the attention of
the Philippines could be directed to a high
ly profitable industry, which would not in
terfere in any way with any American IN
dustry Meanwhile it would require some
years to develop coffee growing in the is
lands, the duty would raise large sums of
money. afford the desired financial relief
for the United States, and be of great adj
vantage and benefit to Porto Rico.
The experts of the Agricultural Depart
ment have not given up hope of seeing cof-
fee made a profitable industry in this coun-
terested in its development in the insular
possessions Consequently the talk of plac-
ing duty on foreign coffee, to aid the in
dustry in the Philippines and Porto Rico.
is subject of great interest to them.
Would Wipe Out the Deficit.
In this connection it is argued that if in
the last fiscal year, when there was def
cit of approximately SAL 100000, the United
States had still been levying duty Of three
cents pound on coffee, as was the case in
1871, there would have been no deficit
whatever. In 1871 Congress repealed the
duty on coffee in compliance with gen.
erai demand and the result was not what
was expected. Brazil Immediately imposed
an export duty and transferred 100000
a year from the United States treasury to
her own Golfers, while the price OF c0nee
remained the same. Since then the United
States has lost on Brazilian coffee alone
the sum of 1904, 1868, s52 in revenue. while
the Brazilian trade balance against the
United States during that period has ag-
gregated the enormous sum Of 81 ,32S, 49,
go Similar was the experience elsewhere,
but Brazil furnishes the best example along
this lines, as that country furnishes most
of the coffee consumed in the United States.
There Is additional reason why the de-