A'OL. 1. No. 6. 



THE AGKICL'LTLItAL NEWS. 



83 



VANILLA. 



Cultivation in the Seychelles. 



(I'uiifiiiiinl fi'iln i> 111- li".) 

 I'LANTIN'C. 



Trees being in reailiiics.s, planting may he done at any 

 time of year here. If during a wet .spell, vanilla will .xprout 

 all the (juicker ; shoukl it be dry, the plants will delay a 

 little, but there is no fear of their nii.s.--ing if pru[ierly planted, 

 and the one danger point to guard is where the vine 

 leaves the earth. This part of the vine is burnt through if 

 not shaded with grass or leaves. However, this also would 

 only mean a little delay in the start of growth ; for thouglx 

 they take some time longer about it, vanilla cuttings will 

 grow well enough if merely tied to the trees with their 

 lower ends .some inches clear of the ground. Illustrative of 

 the extreme vitality of plants wider adverse conditions, it 

 may be mentioned that in neglected planUitions, where the 

 vines have been allowed to climb well up into the branches 

 of gootl-sized trees, and then been broken in atteni[iting to 

 get them down, the broken ijortion.s, sometimes partly swini'- 

 ing free, have remained green and capable of growth for 

 ui)wards of a year, .sending down long aerial roots 15 or 20 

 feet in length, and in .some ca.ses where the.se have escaped 

 injury the brokoi i)lant may re-establish connexion with the 

 soil and start to grow again. If iilanted clear of the 

 ground and merely tied to the sujiporting tree, it is advi.sable 

 to tie two or three large leaves round each vine for the 

 distance of 3 feet up ; thus shaded the aerial roots quickly 

 burst through the stem, and getting something to cling to at 

 once, soon make their way to earth without injur}-. 



LENCTH CUTTIN'(;s TO USE. 



In starting a new vanillery, where the estate has no 

 idants these are readily purchased here at small cost. From 

 2 to .'i rupees (.5.5 to 90 cents) per 100 fathoms is the usual 

 rate for cutting.s, the fathom being what a man can 

 span with outspread arms, a good sweej) of the vine 

 hanging in a curve between his hands. Where choice 

 is possible, although oldi.sh cuttings will grow pretty well, 

 it is best to have the jilants of recent growth : in fact, 

 growing shoots, cut otf close to where they spring 

 from the parent vine, are preferable. At their point of origin 

 the nodes for some di.stance are close together, and thoiujh 

 roots will strike from any joints, they have a natural tendency 

 to do so quicker at the shoot's base. As to the length of 

 cuttings to i)lant, opinions ditt'cr : but there can be no 

 question that the longer cuttings jirnduce cro[iping plants 

 .sooner than the .short ones. If a 2 or 3-foot branch is planted, 

 the shoot it gives is invariably more slender and slower of 

 growth than would be that from a 6-foot cutting, and uii 

 to 10 or 12 feet every advantage lies with the longer plants, 

 except the additional expcn.se. 



The iiuestion as to whether cuttings of that length are 

 to be jilanted whole or divided into two or three plants 

 should be settled liy their cost. It is usual here to loosen 

 the soil with a hoe where vanilla is to be planted, and Imry 

 the end, laid horizontally, an inch or two in the earth. Quite 

 as good a way is merely to [iress the lower [.art of the plant 



into the soft soil until it is Hush with the surface. On sloping 

 land loo.sened soil washes away .sooner with heavy rain, and 

 in such situations it is better to leave the groun<l (|uite 

 umlisturbed. In any case the leaves on that part of the vine 

 which rests in or on the ground are cut off" fairly close to the 

 .stem, and an arm full of leaves, fern, gra.ss, or "forest .sweep- 

 ings laid on the top to the depth of .'i or 4 inches, for a coujile 

 of feet around the plant. Its roots will not need to be 

 nuilched for a greater distance than that for some months, 

 to come, and to co\er a larger area would be useless. A.S. 

 new top dressing.s are laid on. which nuist be done when the 

 Hist supply rots down and becomes thin, these can be 

 gradually extended to allow of more root spread, till the limit 

 of 4 feet radius is reached. If well co\ered, the roots do not 

 run inuch ; only starved vines run far with their roots, 

 .seeking nouri.sliment : where this is plentiful they mat in and 

 beneath it. Being entirely surface feeders, should any 

 make their way beyond the cover they can be gently 

 lifted and tucked under the decaying leaves, etc. ; but 

 this is a hint that the plant needs a new supjily of top 

 dressing. The number of joints laid on or in the soil will 

 vary with the length of the plant, but should not be less 

 than three for this mode of i)lanting, while for long cuttings 

 six or seven joints are needed for a quick start. 



SUPPORT FOn THE YOUNC PL.INTS. 



If of sutKcient length, the free end of the l)lanted vine 

 is hung through a fork of the .suiijiorting tree, but it is alsck 

 advisiible to tie it in two or three jilacos to the tree to hinder 

 swinging and dialing. The material used for these ties here 

 is a fil>re called Vncuu* which rots in about a year, by which 

 time the jilants shouM have tendril-like roots enough to 

 steady themselves. When once projierly [ilanted, the cutting.** 

 will need little or no attention for some month.s, but when 

 the growth becomes vigorous the shoots must be looked after. 

 Such of them as have grown clear of their supports are 

 hitched up and, if long enough, hung through one of the 

 forks. An occasional tie here may also be necessary, but in 

 general, a leaf or two of the gi-owing part can be hooked on 

 to some other fixed jiart of the vine, and in a few days unless, 

 blown loo.se, the tendrils will have fastened to the leaf, and 

 thus supi>ort the plant. Shoots must not be allowed ta 

 climb very high among branches of the supjiorting tree, 

 especially if there be many and close together, or there will 

 lie l)reakages in getting them down. For this purpose, 

 when they get beyond hand reach, a forked stick 6 or 7 feet 

 long is useful. The fork is worked between the tree and 

 climbing vine, and its tendrils in succession are broken by- 

 pushing and twisting the stick when they are within the 

 fork. The last two or three tendrils are easily broken or 

 leave the tree without breaking, and care should be taken 

 w-hen the vine is nearly clear to catch the stem of it high 

 up, within the stick's fork ; it can then be lowered gently 

 without fear of breaking. 



Some judgement is necessary in selecting the fork of the 

 tree through which each shoot is to hang, a fork whose height 

 fits in with a natural bend of the vine, if it has one, being 

 cho.sen ; otherwise one whose height takes the vine between 

 joints is best, since if lient at a joint the vine is apt to snap, 

 especially .so when in vigorous growth, being then full of 

 .sap and brittle. In good growing weather — i.e., warm, 

 still, and moist — healthy, well-nourished vanilla vines grow 

 very rapidly, an inch per day being no uncommon rate. 



(To he continued.) 



'Obtained from a species of screw pine, Panih 



intis ptiUs 



