42 SPICES 



CHAP. 



Raising from Seed. In 1902, M. Dupont made 

 experiments at the Government Botanic Station of 

 the Seychelles to raise vanilla from seed in the follow- 

 ing manner. Fully ripe pods were allowed to blacken, 

 and the seeds when removed were soaked in alcohol for 

 twenty-four hours, and shortly after were thoroughly 

 washed and planted. The seedlings are reported to 

 have grown well. 



Though it is probable that growing vanilla from 

 seed as a regular or common thing might be too slow 

 a process for the planter, there is a good deal to be 

 said for this being occasionally done. Plants which 

 like vanilla have been for many generations grown 

 continuously from cuttings, are very apt to deteriorate 

 and become weak and liable to disease. Nature, it is 

 said, abhors perpetual self-fertilisation. And it may 

 be said that nature still more abhors perpetual asexual 

 reproduction. A fresh strain of vanilla in estates 

 would be very desirable. In raising plants from seed 

 it would be advantageous to use pollen from a different 

 plant for fertilising a flower. 



Pruning. The old stems should be cut off after 

 flowering, even if they still carry buds. The plant 

 will replace them with good and strong stems bearing 

 more flowers, and probably better fruit than the old 

 stems would by the next flowering season. 



Pruning the young stems has been productive of 

 good results in some cultivations and a failure in 

 others. The opinion of Delteil is. that if a planter 

 wishes to get a rapid return from the vanillery, and 

 does not intend to keep it going for more than two 

 or three years, pruning is suitable. It produces an 

 excessive crop of fruit, but always at the expense of 

 the plant. 



In cases where the planter has a number of young 

 plants and wishes to have a succession of good fruiting 

 plants, one lot ready while the next is coming on, 

 the system of pruning may pay very well. At the first 

 flowering of the young stems the ends of the branches 



