SPICES AND FLAVORINGS 253 



tings about 3 to 4 feet long which are planted at the base of 

 stakes 9 feet apart both ways or at the base of nurse trees. 

 The cuttings are first rooted in the nursery. 



Vanilla plants may be pruned back at the age of 18 months 

 in order to induce a habit of branching or they may be allowed 

 to climb to a height of 10* to 15 feet and to become pendulous 

 from above. Like other orchids, the flowers of the vanilla 

 are naturally fertilized by insects, but the proper insect species 

 are not everywhere present. Vanilla has been introduced into 

 many countries where its natural insect visitors are not to be 

 found. In practical vanilla growing, hand-pollination of the 

 flowers is therefore necessary. For this purpose a pencil or 

 splinter of bamboo is commonly used. The flower is held in 

 the left hand and the lip pressed down so as to expose the 

 pollen masses which are thereupon transposed to the stigma 

 by means of the pencil or bamboo stick. Pollination is usually 

 carried on from 7 a. m. to 3 p. m. One man after sufficient 

 practice can fertilize 500 to 2,000 flowers per day. The period 

 from fertilization to mature pods ranges from 4 to 9 months, 

 varying greatly in different countries. 



A good vanilla plant at full bearing may put out as many 

 as 200 racemes of flowers bearing altogether 2,000 to 4,000 

 flowers. In practice, it has been found desirable to pollinate 

 not more than 6 to 10 flowers per raceme. The vanilla pods 

 reach a length of 4 to 6 inches and are harvested when the 

 tip begins to turn yellow. The curing of the pods is the most 

 important process in the vanilla industry. The pods are dipped 

 in water at a temperature of 195 F. for 15 to 30 seconds. 

 The pods are then put in an oven for 15 minutes, then wrapped 

 in blankets and exposed to the sun until afternoon, and then 

 stored in a closed room over night. This process is repeated 

 for 6 to 10 days, at which time the pods become flexible and 

 are of a deep chocolate-brown color. The fermentation process 

 is then considered as being complete. The subsequent 

 processes in curing vanilla consist largely in properly drying 



