ii VANILLA 29 



although the rainfall was above the average, it was 

 coincident with a calamitous drought which extended 

 from the middle of February to the end of October, and 

 caused a great agricultural disturbance. Similarly, in 

 1905, many parts of the islands were without any 

 substantial rainfall between June and October, and 

 everywhere the crops were damaged by the intense 

 sun-heat and the absence of regular showers. Two 

 droughts in two successive years had the effect of 

 checking the flowering of the coco-nuts and the vanilla. 

 In the latter case the almost entire failure of the 

 flowering season reduced the crop of vanilla in 1906 to 

 one-third of that of a normal year. 



These figures give an approximate idea of the 

 requirements of the vanilla as regards climate. As in 

 the case of many other crops, regularity of climate 

 counts for more than the actual humidity and tempera- 

 ture within certain limits. 



Soil. The soil which the plant requires in order 

 to thrive is one rich in humus, light and friable. Stiff 

 clay soils, which dry rapidly, and wet water-logged 



f:ound is not at all suited to the growth of the plant, 

 anilla is a forest-loving plant, and, like all such plants, 

 requires a rich soil of decaying leaves and partial shade 

 in order to thrive. 



Galbraith describes the soil of the Seychelles as 

 follows: "There are three sorts of soil here, (l) Eich 

 vegetable mould, in forest and valley bottoms ; for a 

 quick growth this is excellent. (2) Greasy red clay in 

 fair quantity ; in this vanilla makes good growth. (3) 

 Coarse quartz sand or gravel ; this is best of all, as 

 giving good drainage. In wet years plants are more 

 likely to crop than in other soils." 



It must be remembered that in most of the islands 

 of the Seychelles a considerable amount of guano is 

 mixed with the soil, which is therefore rich in lime, 

 nitrogen, and phosphoric acid, so that probably the coarse 

 quartz sand was richer in the salts required by the plant 

 than a similar looking soil would be in other countries. 



