123 



a label pasted on it which bears the grower's trade-mark, the length 

 and number of packets, their quality, and net weight, and a similar 

 label is put inside. As some chemical action is set up when vanilla 

 rests in contact with tin or iron, thin vegetable parchment paper is 

 placed in the boxes to keep the two apart. The lids are then sealed 

 close with pasted paper and the tiDS packed in wooden cases, 6 in each r 

 and thus dispatched to market. 



MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION AND NOTES. 



A fair crop should average about 100 cured pods to the pound. 





Pods per pound. 





Fresh gather- 



Dry (about). 





ed (about). 



9 inch pods 



20 



65 



8 inch pods 



25 



80 



7 inch pods 



33 



110 



6 inch pods 



50 



160 



The following crops, produce on one estate during the last five years, 

 will serve to show how uncertain are the returns from vanilla growing 

 here : 



Pounds. 



1893 (long dry spell for flowering time in 1892) ... J,80O 



1894 (rain came too soon and spoiled good promise) ... 120 



1895 (next to no dry spell for floweiing in 1894) ... 40 

 lfc96 (excellent promise mostly spoiled by too early rain)... 500 

 1897 (similar to the year before) ... 600 



fe; Expenses for labour duiing these years would be about 7,000 rupees 

 (about 81,600 to $2,000). Present price of vanilla (June, 1897) in 

 London market averages about $6 (25s.) per pcund. The currency 

 here is in Indian money — that is, rupees ; nominal value of rupee, Is. 

 to 2s., but the actual value varies with price of silver and at present 

 ranges between Is. 2d. and. Is. 3d. 



The day beigns at 6 a.m. and work continues until 5 p.m., or to 4 p.m. 

 on some properties ; 11 to 12 is breakfast time. Rough work is quickest 

 got through by giving " tasks," when the negroes become energetic. 



Ordinary estate laborers are paid 12 rupees ($3.40) per month; 

 wcmen for crop curing, etc., are paid 9 rupees ($2.60) per month ; 

 women and children for flower fecundating, one fourth rupee (7 cents) 

 per day, the " day" begin when work is over, early or late. Vanilla 

 packet tying, 2 rupees (58 cents) per 100 bundles of 50 pods each ; 

 vanilla measuring, 2 rupees (58 cents) for same quantity (5,000 pods). 



Straight-stemmed palms, if stout, may be used for supporting the 

 vanilla vines. By driving hard-wood pegs into them obliquely at suit- 

 able heights the vines can be hung about them as in iree forks. 



When long vanilla cuttings are planted near blossoming time, some 

 of them often give flowers soon afterwards. It is best to cut these off, 

 as cropping a vine when newly planted lessens the growing power, and 

 it may hang for many months, but in a regular plantation vines flower- 

 ing too heavily may be relieved by cutting off one or more of the flow- 

 ering branches. These may be planted for the one small crop they will 



