76 SPICES 



CHAP. 



were growing almost in a wild state in a mango grove, 

 and such as they were, they served all the more 

 to show what little trouble there is attached to their 

 cultivation." In the gardens the vanilla was planted 

 at the base of the trees in good leaf-mould, mixed with 

 plenty of brick refuse as a drainage for the young plants. 

 Once put down, they grew at their own sweet will, and 

 soon attained vigorous growth. The plants showed 

 their flower buds in March, and by the 10th of April were 

 fertilised. The pods attained their full size in the 

 beginning of November, and by December the nose of 

 the pod turns yellow first, then brown. This is the 

 time to gather the pods. The pods being few in 

 number in this experiment were sun dried, wrapped in 

 a woollen cloth, and developed a fine aroma, and soon 

 assumed the dark chocolate colour which is recognised 

 as very good. 



In the same Journal (p. 193) is quoted an Assam 

 planter's article published in Capital. The author 

 says, " where the vanilla plant will thrive well and set 

 its pods there can be little doubt that it would pay, and 

 pay handsomely, but it has always to be borne in mind 

 that though the plant may grow and set its pods in 

 many of our tea and coffee districts, it will not thrive 

 in all such districts. It flourishes in a great many 

 districts during the monsoon, where, if not killed out- 

 right in the cold season, it is so weakened by the effects 

 of the damp, foggy weather which obtains in many of 

 our Assam . tea districts that it takes all its time to 

 recover itself during the following rains. It appears to 

 thrive very well in South Sylhet, and flowers abundantly 

 year after year in that district without showing any 

 bad effects from the cold weather, but it ought to be 

 pointed out that South Sylhet enjoys a much higher 

 temperature during the cold season than the majority 

 of the Upper Assam districts. The low temperature is 

 not so antagonistic to this plant if not accompanied by 

 a damp atmosphere. When the latter condition obtains 

 the leaves get covered all over with black spots, the 



