VANILLA 41 



on the top of which are laid flat stones, in order to 

 keep the cutting thoroughly damp, but this is rarely 

 necessary except perhaps in very hot and dry spots, 

 where it might be advisable. Under good conditions 

 the growth of the vanilla is rapid, and from a cutting 

 of three or four joints it will have grown from 10 to 

 14 ft. long at the end of the second' year, and should 

 commence flowering in the third. When the shoots 

 have grown to a sufficient length, they require to 

 be twisted round the branches of the supporting tree, 

 or over the lattice of the trellis, so that it can climb 

 over and hang down. This must be done gently, so as 

 not to tear or bruise the leaves, branches, or roots. 



It is on these long hanging branches that the 

 flowers are produced. As long as the vine can climb 

 upwards it will not flower, so that it is not advisable 

 to grow it on too high a support, for not only will it 

 take longer to produce the hanging branches, but there 

 is much more difficulty in getting at the flowers to 

 fertilise them later. 



These long branches, when they reach the ground, 

 often take root there and reascend the support. The 

 long shoots turn downwards when the plant has grown 

 to the top of its support, and when grown on low 

 trellises, or posts or bushes, turn down of themselves. 

 On taller trees it is often necessary to turn them down 

 to prevent them from growing out of reach. The vines 

 should be examined every two months or so, and the 

 stems over 10 or 12 ft. long should be turned down 

 over the lower branches. " Do not let the vine hang 

 nearer than a foot from the ground," says Macfarlane, 

 but " pinch off the end when it has reached that length." 

 In turning down it is often found that the plant has 

 clung by its roots to a support and cannot be moved 

 easily without breaking these roots. It is better to 

 cut them through rather than to break them. They 

 are no longer of any use to the plant, and attempts to 

 uncoil them may end in breaking the vine, which is 

 more brittle than the roots. 



