(6i) 



In cultivation the flowers are pollinated by hand. The 

 fruits, resembling slender green bananas, are gathered 

 before quite ripe and are exposed to a steam-sweating by- 

 various devices. They are then exposed to the sun each 

 day, and wrapped in woolen blankets at night, for some 

 time. By this process the odorous substance vanillin is 

 developed. The vanillin may all be in the body of the 

 vanilla ("brown beans"), or it may coat its surface in the 

 form of shining white crystals ("frosted beans"). Before 

 this curing process, vanilla contains no vanillin and has no 

 special fragrance or flavor. Unless otherwise specified, the 

 specimens in this exhibit were presented by Dodge & Olcott, 

 of New York City. 



14 1 2. Leafy branch of Vanilla planifolia Andrews. From Mexico. Presented by 



Dodge & Olcott, of New York City. 



1413. A fresh unripe fruit of the same plant. Same source and donor. 

 1414 22 . Picture of a vanilla plantation. 



1415. That of a flowering vanilla plant. 



1416. Pollinating the flowers, or fecundation. 



1417. The vanilla beans on the vine. 



1418. Gathering the beans. 

 J419. Drying and curing. 



1420. Assorting and bundling. 



1421. Fine Mexican vanilla. 



1422. Fancy braided specimen of the same. 



1423. Vanilla splits. — Beans which became so nearly ripe before collection that 



they had begun to split open at the tip. 



1424. Cut Mexican vanilla. — Consists of inferior beans, of poor appearance, and 



the good portions of beans from which the useless portions have been cut 

 away. 



1425. Tehuantepec vanilla. — Vanilla grown upon the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, 



Central America. 



1426. Bourbon vanilla, bundled in Mexican style. — This form of bundling is 



resorted to in order that this article can be sold as Mexican vanilla. 



1427. Commercial Bourbon vanilla. 



1428. Seychelles vanilla, bundled in Mexican style. — Vanilla produced at the 



Seychelles Islands and bundled to imitate the Mexican vanilla. 



1429. Commercial Seychelles vanilla. 



1430. Mauritius vanilla. — Vanilla produced on the Island of Mauritius, West 



Indies. 



143 1. Java vanilla. 



22 Numbers 1414-1420 comprise a series of pictures representing the vanilla- 

 producing industry, and were presented by J. Mannheimer, of New York City. 



