The Hawaiian gazette., 1905-08-04
VANILLA
IN HAWAII

The Chronicle says: +. q. Edwards
has imported the vanilla plant into Ha-
waii;, the enterprise has proved sue
cessful beyond his fondest anticipa-
tions; the department of chemistry at
the University of California has ana
lyzed the product and pronounced it
fully as valuable commercially as the
best product of Mexico (where the
highest priced vanilla is grown; the
success of Mr.. Edwards has stirred a
great interest in the new industry, and
in the fall of this year he will sail to
FIJI to fetch 100000 cuttings of the
vanilla plant back to Hawaii for the
use of himself and of others who are
to begin it's culture. That is to say,
in region of Uncle Sans dominions
where crops that can be grown profit
ably are much needed, Mr.. Edwards
has introduced one that seems certain
to be grown successfully, which is pecu-
liarly a ''small farmer IS" crop, and
which pays good profit on the capital
invested, which need not be much. All
this is told by the vanilla pioneer from
Hawaii, and his own words are best
to tell the tale.
1t may be said right here, however,
that. the vanilla is very valuable
product of the soil. The best varieties
fetch, when ready for the market, as
much as $50 pound. The value of
the vanilla beans imported by the
United States during the last year was
81 $4,000. The most, of this came
from Mexico. Now the American
planter seems likely to have chance
to supplyTIin the course of time-the
American market; and the birth of an
important industry seems to have been
born when this pioneer landed in Ha-
waii two years ago and saw vanilla
plant raised under grass. The idea
occurred to him: perhaps it would
grow outside of glass, in the interior.
So he took walk, as it were, into the
interior. He came to Kona, valley
on the island of Hawaii, and there he
found what he sought, a climate and a
soil suitable for the growing of vanilla.
81 had long experience in the grow
ing of vanilla in the Seychelles is
lands," said Mr.. Edward to "Sun-
day Chronicle" writer, "and when /
visited Kona I reached the conclusion
that it was as well adapted as any
place in the world to the cultivation OF
the plant. No vanilla had hitherto
been successfully raised in Hawaii; in
deed, there was no serious attempt to
do so. A few plants were grown in
I gardens or Conservatives as any exotic
plant might be, but that was all. had
made up my mind to leave the Seychel-
les, hence my trip to Hawaii. When
| investigated the region around Kona
| made up my mind to try to raise the
vanilla plant there. So went to Fiji
| and bought some eleven thousand cut,
tings. Unfortunately, the steamship
| people put the plants in the hold, in
stead of transporting them on deck, as
had been agreed, with the disastrous
consequence that twenty-five per cent
of the cuttings died before the vessel
reached Hawaii.
"This was the first time, by the way,
to my knowledge, that vanilla cuttings
have been transported. / had boxes in
which one hundred cuttings each were
put, and left the ends of the boxes
open for ventilation.
81 had taken up two hundred acres
in Kona. Now, although the cost OF
labor in Hawaii is hlgn compared will
that prevailing in other vanilla-p roduc
ing countries, 1 estimate that wheI
the vines are bearing fully the vanill,
can be put upon the market at a cos
of about $3.50 pound. An acre will
give from $50 to 800 pounds. This vii
give, and does give, very handsom
profit, as vanilla of the quality raise,
in Kona will fetch an average pric,
of So a pound. The price, of course
flucNates with the state of the market
The best Mexican product fetches iron
$4 to 500 pound. The Mexican vanill;
is the best. The plant is also grow
in Bourbon, on the east coast of Africa
insthe Seychelles islands, and there i
large quantity sent from Tahiti int
the United States. This last, however
is of very inferior quality, and does no
bring more than fifty cents pound.
The method of cultivation of thi
newest crop to enrich soil in Uncl
Sam s land is thus briefly described b.
Mr.. Edwards: "When we clear tn
land in Kona we allow it to remain
few months to sweeten, TO get tn
benefit of air and sunshine. Then it j
lined The lines are drawn eight fee
apart, and in these lines the cutting
are planted five feet apart, which a
: lows of about 1000 plants to the acre.
"The vines begin to bear abou
twelve months after being planted, bu
we find that it is not advisable (
marry the plants in the first year, O
to do so would impoverish the vines.
'Did / say We married the sflowers
I did. Taking thorn of the orang
tree (instead of orange flowers, as 9
human weddings), or some other shar
; pointed instrument, l open the femal
of the vanilla bloom and allow the pc
len from the male part, situated imm
diately above, to fall into the recel
4 tacle. If this was not done no pc
: would be produced. About seve
, months elapses aIrer formulation b.
fore the pod natures.
a "The first thing that is done aftt
the pods are gathered is the plungin
of them into water heated almost I