The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1915-07-16
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pulp. which is rather sticky and tasteless but is
edible ard the seed Is covered with hard furry
substance After a sufficient quantity OF the
fruit has been gathered, the sarrapero takes
the lot to some open place where he get the
benefit of strong sunlight. The hard shell is
carefully crushed between two stones, and sim
gle obong bean OF dark-brown color is obtained.
After a heap of these has been secured they are
spread out on the large open masses Of granite
called lajas, which form peculiar feature or the
forests OF this region. When dried these are
the tonqua beans of commerce as they are sold
to the merchants and exporters in Ciudad Boil
var BY the end Of May or the first part or
June the crop Is about exhausted and the Caura
river again becomes alive with the returning
boats From the Caura they go into the Orinoco
and thence down to Ciudad Bolivar, where the
sarrapieros sell their accumulations of beans to
the large exporting houses
Before the tonqua beans are exported they go
r1rough a process OF crystallizing by being
stepped in strong or alcohol. Casks open at
one end are placed in rows and filled TO WITHIN
about foot of the top with the beans. The
rum is then poured in until the cask is full IL
is then covered by layers of bagging or gunny
sacks. At the end Of "a hours the rum that has
not been absorbed is run off and the beans taken
out and spread out to dry in a current or air
When first taken out the beans are OF DUH
black color and are soft and swollen with the
absorbed fluid. On drying shiny white crystals
appear on the surface of the beans, which gives
them the sugarcoated appearance they have
when they arrive at their final destination In
Europe or the United States In the drying
process they shrink considerably, and this gives
them the wrinkled surface They are shipped
in wine casks or rum puncheons to the markets
of the world.
AS indicated heretofore the value of the bean
lies in its sweet and lasting odor, and its active
principle is much used by the manufacturer OK
has
that of sweet clover or freshly cut grass. 1t re-
sembes that Of the vanilla bean so closely that
the tonqua bean has been used as an adulterant
in the cheaper grades of vanilla extracts once
upon a time when our not very remote fore
fathers had the habit of taking a pinch of snuff
to ttillate their ofactories to the sneezing point
the bean was In great demand Every jar Of
snuff on the shelves OF the wealthy contained
several OF these sweet-smelling beans, and even
In the gold or silver pocket snufboxes carried by
our grandfathers a single bean was usually found
to add it's fragrance to the pungent powder
which gave them such delight. Later the beans
were used in puverzed form to give delight
ful aroma to smoking tobacco. one to which
they are still sometimes put cheaper substi'
tute has been found, however, in the So
called wild vanilla" found in Florida and the
ordinary grade OF smoking tobacco knows not
the fragrance OF the tonqua bean.
The price OF the beans varies greatly and de-
pends largely upon whether there is good or
poor crop The crop of 1912 was very short
and the price rose to s4S7 per pound. According
year It fell to less than 81 per pound According
10 the commercial statistics OF the United States
importations during the year ending June 80.
1913 amounted to 7S3,SSS pounds, valued at
s11404O9 These figures are some evidence that
the scent OF "new-mown hay is still quite popu-
lar in the United States, for the scent is about
all there is TO the tonqua bean. 1t lends its
fragrance to fine tobacco for the smoker. to fine
toilet soaps, to "brilliantine.' and other hair
dressings and dyes. to dainty cosmetics that
softly tint the cheeks and lips of beauty. to flavor
ing extracts used in confections and ice creams,
and to many other things that crafty the sense
OF SMELL Thus has agreeable odor become
an important commercial commodity.