MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 111 
off by the cap or rostellum ; this afterward would spring back 
bringing the pollen in contact with the stigma. . 
CULTIVATION IN THE SEYCHELLES 
Vanilla cuttings are said to have been introduced into the 
Seychelles Islands in 1866, probably from Réunion where 
the plant was grown successfully after sugar began to fail in 
1850. Plantations were gradually established and extended 
by the propagation of these original plants and from others 
pein, imported, and for many years the colony’s 
prosperity has largely depended on vanilla. 
Culture.—There are several methods of growing vanilla, 
but the method now most generally practised on these 
islands is to train each plant on a separate tree. Trees with 
moderately dense foliage which never become entirely de- 
foliated and with plenty of low branches from 5 to 7 feet 
from the ground are selected; the branches act as a support 
and protect the vanilla from the strong sun. The soil most 
— is a rich vegetable mold, common enough in forest 
and. 
Cuttings are then selected averaging from 6 to 10 feet in 
length, or long enough for the free end to hang over the 
fork of the supporting tree. These are planted during the 
rainy season around the bases of trees and tied in several 
places to prevent swinging. The material used for this pur- 
pose is a fibre called vacoa obtained from the screw pine or 
Pandanus utilis. A large specimen of this plant about 
twenty-five feet in height may be seen in the palm house 
at the Garden. 
Under favorable conditions the plants are ready for crop- 
ping within eighteen months. Formerly they were allowed 
to grow until the dry spell prior to the usual blossoming time. 
The growing ends were then cut off and all new shoots re- 
moved as they appeared up to the flowering time or until 
the season for flowering had passed. This method was none 
too satisfactory, however, for flowers would sometimes come 
in spite of checking the growth. The modern method is to 
stop the growing ends some nine or ten months before flower- 
ing time. Later the shoots will appear farther back, and 
these are left for the next year’s crop.. 
Curing the Pods for Market.—There are various ways of 
reparing vanilla, the most successful being the following: 
The pods are picked before ripening, usually when they 
show a light yellowish color. Lots of several hundred each are 
then placed in separate baskets. These baskets are then 
plunged in water at 190° F. for ten seconds; this is repeated 
