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bending easily round one's finger. If the contents move easily 

 all along a pod without any unevenness being noticed when it is 

 drawn between the finger and thumb, it is nearly dry enough ; but 

 the right stage can only be learned by experience. 



At the moment when it is found that the beans may be twisted 

 easily round the finger without cracking — that is to say, when they 

 have acquired a degree of dryness which can be judged only by 

 experience, a fresh operation is commenced which requires the 

 most minute and vigilant care ; this is termed the smoothing 

 process. The operator must pass every bean between his fingers 

 repeatedly, for, on drying, the beans exude from their entire surface 

 a natural fatty oil. It is to this oil which exudes as the fermentation 

 proceeds, that the lustre and suppleness of the bean is due. 



When finished, the pods are well wiped with bits of soft flannel, 

 and then kept in bpxes with close fitting lids. 



SORTING. 



It is better to sort them roughly into lengths as each day's lot 

 is put away and tie up the various sizes in bundles of about 

 200 each if the numbers allow of it, for they have to be examined 

 once or twice a week in order to remove the mouldy ones and 

 this is much more quickly clone with bundles than when they are 

 loose. Moreover, it makes the ultimate accurate measuring easier. 

 Either at this time or later the different qualities are more exactly 

 separated, none but faultless pods, without scar or defect in curing, 

 being allowed in the first quality. The rest rank as seconds, etc. 

 The split pods and the pods that have been cut on account of 

 mould are also kept distinct. It is well to keep a crop at least 

 three or four months before marketing. By that time nearly all 

 shaky pods that are liable to mould will have shown themselves. 

 All are then measured and tied up in neat bundles of fifty pods 

 each of even length, the pods varying in length not more than 

 one-eighth of an inch. In this manner three commercial sorts are 

 obtained, and termed as follows : — 



I. "Fine vanilla," 8 to II inches long, very dark brown or 

 nearly black, unctuous glossy and clean looking, and finely 

 furrowed in a longitudinal direction. These soon become covered 

 with an abundance of the frost-like efflorescent crystals technically 

 called "givre;" 2. "Woody vanilla" 6 to 8 inches long, lighter in 

 colour, more or less spotted with grey, not glossy. These are 

 generally the produce of pods gathered in an unripe state. They 

 f l-ost or " givre" very little, if at all ; 3. " Vanillons" of which there 

 are two sorts, these obtained from short but ripe fruit, which are 

 excellent and frost well, and those from abortive and um ipe fruit, 

 whose perfume is simply the result of absorption from the fine 

 beans with which they have so long been in contact. 



TYING. 



The general sightliness of a marketed crop has much in- 

 fluence on the price it will bring, and whatever whims buyers 

 get into their heads the producer must conform to or suffer in 

 pocket. Bundle tying is something of an art, and a deft hand 

 at it is valuable. Sixteen or thereabouts in each 50 are selected for 



