N'AMLLA 171 



about the appearance of the bundles and the 

 size and shape of the tins in which they are 

 packed. Fifty or sixty beans may be put in a 

 bundle, which must be neatly tied with the 

 curled base of the beans pointing: inwards. 

 Again, bundles differing in length by more than 

 an inch should not be put into the same tin. 

 If harvesting and curing has been properly done, 

 the beautiful white needles of vanillin will begin 

 to crystallize on the beans soon after bundling. 



An acre of land planted G by G feet contains 

 1,200 plants. Assuming that in a plantation in full 

 bearing an average of two-thirds of the plants flower 

 yearly, and that each plant carries 20 pods, we 

 get a crop of 1G0,000 pods per acre. Taking 

 long beans with short, we may estimate an aver- 

 age of 140 beans to the pound, which gives us 

 114 lb. of dried vanilla to the acre. Price may 

 vary from 2s. 6d. or less for mouldy or split to 18s. 

 or even 21s. in a good market for long, well- 

 cured beans. Calculating upon an average of 

 7s. per lb., the gross returns work out at X'40 

 per acre. Good management should keep the 

 cost of production within 40 per cent, of this. 



Vanilla-planting has certain advantages over 

 such industries as cane- and sisal-planting. The 

 work is far less laborious and better suited to the 

 languid disposition of the tropical African, and 



