VANILLA 343 



1694, reports the use of vanilla in France to flavor 

 chocolate and sometimes to perfume snuff. As early as 

 1721 vanilla was introduced into the London Pharma- 

 copeia, and in 1739 Mr. Ph. Miller planted some speci- 

 mens (Vanilla aromatica, Swartz) in the Chelsea botan- 

 ical garden. In 1724 P. Labat (365), a Catholic mis- 

 sionary, reports (from hearsay), the abundant occur- 

 rence of vanilla in the "terre ferme" of Cayenne, from 

 which place specimens were forwarded to him in 1697 

 to Martinique, where he cultivated the plant and for 

 eight years observed its habits. He also planted vanilla 

 in Guadaloupe. In 1750 P. Gumilla met vanilla in the 

 Orinoco country. (Fliickiger.) But to Humboldt (331) 

 we owe the first authentic and detailed report on Mexi- 

 can vanilla. The Mexican province of Oaxaca supplied 

 the first vanilla export to Spain, and the bean was dis- 

 covered in this province by De Menonville in 1777. 

 (Gardener's Chronicle, May 23, 1874, Am. Journ. Pharm., 

 1874). According to old archives, (Hires), vanilla forests 

 have been in cultivation at Papantla, near Vera Cruz, 

 as early as 1760. 



The species yielding the finest flavored vanilla, later 

 named Vanilla planifolia, Andrews, was imported from 

 America into England by Charles Greville, this flower- 

 ing in his collection at Paddington in 1807. Specimens 

 of this plant were later transferred to Paris and Bel- 

 gium, from whence the botanical gardens of Reunion 

 and Java were supplied. In 1830 Neumann introduced 

 the artificial fertilization of vanilla in the Jardin des 

 Plantes at Paris, and in 1837 Professor Morren did the 

 same at Liege. The Java plantation, started in 1841, 

 in the year 1897 supplied the Dutch market, solely. 

 (Beringer). 



