88 SPICES 



CHAP. 



resulted in making the French market more important than 

 the London market, and that the Seychelles vanilla is now 

 going there in consequence. In that market he is now paying 

 from 36 to 40 francs per Ib. for vanillas which, three years ago, 

 he bought for 12 to 15 francs per Ib. We mention these high 

 figures to show you the impossibility of giving you any actual 

 idea of probable prices, for we have seen vanillas here which are 

 not quoted at more than $2.50 per Ib. They are, of course, not 

 Bourbon or Mexican vanillas, and are not well dried or well packed. 



These considerations serve to show the conditions 

 in the different markets, and must be taken into 

 account before, in any particular instance, the matter 

 is discussed in relation to the agricultural aspect. They 

 should be helpful in giving some idea of the purely 

 commercial tenor of the subject (Agricultural News, 

 vol. ix. p. 53). 



CONSTITUENTS OF THE PODS 



The amount of vanillin in the pods varies in pro- 

 portion in different gatherings and even in different 

 years. The following analysis shows the proportions 

 under different circumstances : 



Vanillin 

 per cent. 



1. Mexican first quality collected in 1873 . . 1'69 



1874 . . 1-86 

 medium T32 



2. Bourbon first quality collected in 1874 . . 1 '91-2-90 



1875 . . 1-97-2-43 



medium 1-19 



inferior quality collected in 1874 . 1'55 



1875 . -75 



3. Java first quality collected in 1873 . . 2'75 



medium collected in 1874 . . . 1-56 



4. Brazilian Vanillas 



Goyaz 1-25 



Santa Catherina 1-34 



Para -95 



Rio de Janeiro 1-50-1-68 



5. German East Africa, collected in 1894 . . 2'16 



Ceylon 1-48 



Tahiti. . ... . . . . 1-65-2-02 



(Analyses 1-3 by Tiemann and Haarmann, 4 by T. and G. Peikoly, 

 5 by Dr. Busse.) 



