THE NEW YORK JOURNAL OF PHARMACY 



21 



VANILLA BEAN. 

 By Francis A. Frawley, '14. 



A^anilla, one of the most valuable 

 articles of commerce, is also one 

 about which the average person is 

 unfamiliar. It is a flavorino- a,s:ent 

 being- used in the manufacture of pas- 

 tries, confectionery and perfumery. 

 There is no article sold which is more 

 subject to fraud and impurity than 

 vanilla extract. 



Vanilla is the product of the orchid, 

 vanilla plantifolia. The plant has a 

 long, fleshy stem and attaches itself to 

 trees and shrubs and appears to be 

 little dependent on the soil for nour- 

 ishment. The leaves are alternate and 

 oval in shape. From each blossom a 

 little pod springs which grows rapid- 

 ly. On a mature plant it is about the 

 size and shape of a banana. The blos- 

 som, which is white, gives ofif at night 

 an exquisite fragrance. 



This plant, so valuable for its prod- 

 uct, is a native of the South American 

 countries, Mexico and the West Indies. 

 The best varieties are found in Mex- 

 ico where it is cultivated very success- 

 fully. 



The method of cultivating the van- 

 illa plant differs in various countries. 

 To cultivate the plant successfully, it 

 is necessary to have a warm climate ; 

 a temperature from seventy to ninety 

 degrees; frequent rains, when the 

 plant is growing and a dry season at 

 the end to develope the flow^er. Coast 

 regions are found to be best suited for 

 the cultivation of this plant. 



In Mexico, when a vanillary is to 

 he established, a clearing is made in 

 the forest, where a few young trees 

 are set out about fifteen feet apart to 



serve as a support for the climbing- 

 plant. The plants are set out at the 

 foot of these trees which, in the course 

 ol its growth, it climbs. The plant 

 does not bear fruit until its third 

 year. After about two years' growth, 

 the plant is ready for cropping; that 

 is, the growth must be stopped until 

 the flowers appear. The usual length 

 of time for flower development is six 

 months, if the conditions are favor- 

 able. 



Next in the process of cultivation is 

 the fertilization. The vanilla plant is 

 strictly of the pollen species, male and 

 female flowers growing on different 

 plants. In former times the Indians 

 depended on the winds to inter- 

 change the pollen, but now it is usu- 

 ally done by artificial means, a small 

 wooden instrument being the succes- 

 sor of nature. 



After this is done the fruit attains 

 its full size in five or six weeks, but it 

 ripens very slowly. When mature, 

 the pod is yellow, but it is usually 

 collected just before it ripens. 



The curing of the vanilla bean is a 

 most arduous process, each bean being 

 handled over one hundred times. The 

 fruit is first spread on a drying frame 

 for a day, then sun dried for twenty 

 or thirty days. During this process 

 it is sweated repeatedly by being- 

 placed between blankets, then un- 

 wrapped and exposed to the air. When 

 this part is done it is left for the sun 

 to Im-owu for twenty days. Then it is 

 dried for another period of time in- 

 doors. All through this process each 

 bean is carefully watched to deter- 

 mine the length of time necessary to 

 cure it on account of the different 

 lengths. 



