Prof. Chas. Morren on the Cultivation o/* Vanilla. 5 



of the Botanic Garden. The plant grew rapidly there, and 

 slips were sent to all the towns of Belgium and of France, but 

 they very rarely flowered ; once or twice in Flanders at the 

 seat of Madame la Vicomtesse Vilain XIV., and at Liege ; 

 but fruit was never obtained, so that this culture was de- 

 spaired of. Nevertheless, in 1819, M. Somme sent two plants 

 of Vanilla to M. Marchal, now Curator of the Bibliotheque 

 de Bourgogne at Brussels, that he might send them to the 

 Dutch colonies of Java, where it was said the plant might be- 

 come valuable by its produce. 



The history of this migration of the Vanilla plant from 

 America to the East Indies is too interesting not to be made 

 known, because it brings to mind in every respect the episode 

 of the transportation of the plant of the coffee tree taken 

 from the hot-houses of Amsterdam, given to Louis XIV. and 

 father of the three plants, one of which was taken to the 

 French Antilles by Captain Declieux, who, in a scarcity of 

 water experienced by the ship's crew, shared the small quan- 

 tity which he had to drink between himself and his dear coffee 

 plant. Indeed, only one of the Vanilla roots stood the passage 

 from Belgium to the East Indies ; but it was only by the great- 

 est care in preserving it from the rough treatment of the sailors, 

 from the changes of temperature, and from the salt water which 

 was thrown upon it. It would undoubtedly have perished if 

 M. Marchal had not made it his darling child. The plant so 

 happily saved w as given to the Botanic Garden of Buitenzorg 

 at Java, and prospered there so well that it flow^ered ; and it 

 is without doubt, that which was afterw ards described by Dr. 

 Blume, who on account of its green flower named it Vanilla 

 viridiflora ; so that this name should also be regarded as a 

 synonym of the specification, already so perplexed, of this 

 species. 



The observations on the necessity of an artificial fecunda- 

 tion in the greater part of the orchideous plants not being 

 known at that time, the flowers of this Vanilla bore no fruit 

 in the East Indies, which I attribute to the absence of the 

 species of insect which nature has doubtless given to the cli- 

 mate of Mexico to effect in this latter region a fecundation, 

 which man alone, by a study of the organs, is able to perfect 

 in other countries. 



