VANILLA AROMATICA. 89 



X'anllla acts as a sli;;ht stinuilaiu lu the system, and the- fact 

 of its |)<>sscssing hcnzoic acid is oiu! that shoulil not Ik* lost sij^ht 

 -t' It is siiid to Ix; used by the Spanish physicians in America as 

 .III .iniidolc to poisons, and to the hilt: of venomous creatures. 



The harvest in Mauritius bej^ins in July, and ;is late .1^ 

 December in South Aineric.i. the fruits beinjjj j'athered \vh«-n 

 yellow. After slight fermentation they are l.iid in the sun to 

 ilry, antl when about half-ilrieil. the pods are rubbed with mahoj^any- 

 nut oil. and after aijain beiii^ expiised to the sun are oiled a 

 sec«)iul time. 



In another mode of prej)aration. ihi- fruit for the market is 

 allowed to dry until the |)ods have lost their yellowish j^reen 

 colour. Straw mats. c«)ver<.d with woollen blank<ts, are then laid 

 on the ground, and when these are warm, the fruits are spread on 

 them antl e.\jK)sed to the sun. Alter a time they are wra|)|>ed in 

 blankets, and placed in boxes covered with cloth, after which they 

 are again exjxiseil. In al)oui twelve hours, the fruits should 

 l)ecome a dark coffee-colour, but if they do not the j)rocess is 

 rejK'ated. 



AI>out fifty jmkIs are then tied tii^htly t«»gethei in a bundle, at 

 each end. and once rounil tht; centn*. with a s|>ccics of gniss, and 

 jKicked in tins, which are hermetically sealetl for exp ' 



After some months, the jmkIs become encrusted with an 

 eft1<»rcsccncc of while cr)'sials, which |)ossess projHriies similar to 

 lh(»sc in benzoic acid ; they form very beautiful objects when seen 

 through a microsco()e with {xilari/.ed light. 



