Vol. I. No. 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



101 



VANILLA. 



Cultivation in the Seychelles. 



(ContinutJ from jxiffe So.) 



PREP.\EIN<; THE VINES FOR CKOPI'INii. 



If the plants have done well they should be ready for 

 such j)reparation in about eighteen months, more or less, 

 according to the season. Formerly in this colony they were 

 allowed to grow on until a .sjiell of dry weather set in prior 

 to the usual blorssoniing time. The growing ends were then 

 cut ofl' and all new shoots removed as they showed till 

 flowers began to come or till the season for them \\as past. 

 When the dry spell jiroved a long one, this .seemed to answer 

 jjretty well ; and, indeeil, under these circumstances flowers 

 would come in any case, whether growth was checked or not. 

 But now it is more u.sual to .stop the growing ends some nine 

 or ten months, in the first instance, before flowering time. 

 In the majority of cases the terminal bud will i)ush, and this 

 new shoot should also be removed when 5 or inches long 

 not earlier, else the next to the last bud is apt to grow. 



After the second checking most vines will shoot far 

 enough l>ack to allow of the shoots lieing left. These grow 

 on for the next year, and then stopped branches hang down 

 with their lower ends a good foot or more from the ground, 

 being generally from 4 to 6 feet in length, according to the 

 heights of the forks through which they are hung and the 

 positions of the new shoots, though these generally sjiring 

 just before the last bends of the checked branches, which are 

 to be the cropping parts. The new growths behind these are 

 suppo.sed to drain them of their sap, and thus conduce to 

 flowering. However that may be, these checked hanging 

 branches have certainly more tendency to flower than other 

 parts of the vines. Flowers take some six weeks to develop 

 from the moment they burst through the buds to their time 

 of opening, liut this period varies in length with the weather, 

 continuous dryness retarding and moderate showers hastoiing 

 their development when once .started. 



The growing branches of vines should now be checked 

 again for the following year's crop. These will be less 

 troublesome in j)Utting out inconvenient shoots, as the jilant's 

 .saji is more apt to go into flowering branches, when nourish- 

 ment is now more needed. Could the whole work l)e 

 jierfornied in a few days, this change in the direction of sap 

 flow should 1)6 done i)referably ten days or a fortnight 

 before flowers begin to open. In a large i)lantation, unless 

 the hands are very numerous or the shoots have been 

 arranged Ijeforehand so that there is little else to do than 

 cut their ends, it will take some weeks to accomi>lish this, 

 and therefore work must l)egin earlier or finish later. If 

 the dry si>ell necessary for flowering has lasted a good 

 while and can fairly be depended upon to continue long- 

 enough, the growing ends may be cut earlier ; Ijut it 

 mu.st be borne in mind that if rain in quantity comes 

 too soon and, in addition to the stimulus given by it, 

 the branches intended for flowering have also the sap 

 from previously growing shoots ]>oured into them, the 

 chance of their crojiping well will be much diminished. 

 Many a jiromise of a fine croi> is ruined by too early rain 

 here. The country, climate, and the planter's .skill as a 

 weather prophet must govern this umlertakint;. 



An abundant snppl}- of leaf mould should be in readiness 

 for laying on the roots at this .season, and should be applied 

 w;lieii flowers Ijegin to open, or a little before. If previous 

 dressings have been so timed that vines are in a somewhat 



starved condition when flowering is e.xpected, the chances of 

 a good blossoming are increased, Ijut this practice needs 

 judgement, or a poor quality of pods will l:)e the result. 



There used to be a story current here, no doubt with 

 some grain of truth in it, to the eft'ect that in a very wet season 

 the only vanilla planter who had any crop was one who.se 

 pigs had got adrift in his plantation and spent the night in 

 grubbing up vanilla roots. This method of producing flowers 

 is not recommended, but it is quite po.ssible that careful and 

 systematic root pruning might be carried on with advantage 

 in wet years, if one could tell beforehand when these were 

 coming. 



(T(i lie rontiiiiK'iL ) 



ARBOR DAY. 



PLAN"nX(i TREES AT HT. VINCENT AND TOBAGO. 



Notwithstanding the postjjonenient of the Corona- 

 tion Ceremony, June 2() was observed in St. ^'incent 

 and Tob.igo as an Arbor dav. At St. \'ineent, 

 Mr. Henr}" Powell, the Curator of tJie Botanic Station, 

 reports that tree-planting was didy carried out at 

 Government House, the Botanic Station and Agricul- 

 tural School and similar comnn'morative trees were 

 planted in the market ]jlaces at Kingstown, C'alliaqua 

 and Barrouallie, and at the residences of several private 

 individuals. Altogether, 59 trees were phmted at 

 St. Vincent. More trees, Mr. Powell states, would have 

 been planted, had not the general conditions of the 

 island been upset by the recent volcanic disturbances. 



At Tobago a bed was jircpared in the centre of the 

 Botanic Station and ])lanted on that day with a group 

 of Cabbage Palms and ornamental shrubs. A Cabbage 

 Palm was also jilanted at Government House and 

 another at Fort Hill. At the latter place, the function 

 took place in the presence of the Warden, the Curator 

 and a large gathering of school children. To the latter 

 was exj)lained the object of the ceremony. Altogether 

 21 trees were ])lanted at I'obago. 



At Barbados, also, a few commemorative trees were 

 planted : but the majority of the trees have, we under- 

 stand, been retained to be planted on the actual 

 Coronation Day. In supporting the idea of establishing 

 an Arbor Day tor the West Indies, Mr. Fawcett, 

 the Director of the Botanical Department, suggests 

 that at Januxica, Victoria Day (May 24) being 

 a recognised public holiday might be a convenient 

 day for the purpose. Mi-. Fawcett adfls 'there are 

 numerous occasions which would be fittingly marked 

 b}- the planting of trees such as children's birthdays, 

 the visit of friends, the anniversaries of national or 

 local important events. But no one should undertake 

 to plant a tree unless it is fully intended to take care 

 of it afterwards, otherwise it will remain a monument 

 of careless indifference. A list of available plants at 

 the Jamaica Ciarrlens is published in the Gazette. But 

 if there is likely to be a universally observed Arbor 

 Day, it would be well to give notice some months 

 beforehand of the plants required. The Go\ernment 

 is willing to help all interested in the movement.' 



It would be interesting to learn what was done, 

 or, what is intended to be dijne, in regard to an Arbor 

 Dav in other Colonies. 



