Edible Products, 



500 



[June, 1910- 



hitherto have been but little availed of. 

 Some twelve or fifteen years ago Vanilla 

 commanded a price so high (25s. to 30s. 

 per lb.) that considerable areas were 

 planted up in various parts of the world, 

 and big money if not actual fortunes 

 were made. The result that history has 

 shown to be inevitable under such 

 circumstances followed — chemists turned 

 their attention to the production by 

 synthesis of an article so much in de- 

 mand, and by close planting and over- 

 bearing, diseased conditions were in- 

 duced in the plantations. On the evolu- 

 tion of a synthetic product more or less 

 similar or at least usable as a substitute 

 and cheaper, coupled possibly with the 

 dying out of hundreds of thousands of 

 vines— notably in the Seychelles— the 

 price dropped to 3s. to 5s. ner lb., and 

 the industry as a whole suffered a con- 

 siderable set back. 



The history of tropical — as well as 

 other — agricultural products of this na- 

 ture — of a group that may perhaps be 

 called auxiliary rather than primary — 

 also shows us, however, that these 

 things work in cycles, and that Nature 

 generally comes out ahead in the end. 

 It is, then, for the tropical agriculturist 

 to follow the trend of demand and 

 supply of products such as the one under 

 discussion, and be prepared to take 

 advantage of the fact of an increased 

 demand in the near future. 



When the production of a more or less 

 satisfactory substitute, being synthe- 

 tically supplied, may prevent a rise in 

 price to the level previously attained, 

 it would seem that a reaction is taking 

 place, and the demand tor the natural 

 Vanilla beans or pods is increasing and 

 the price slowly, very slowly, but surely, 

 on the upward grade, good qualities 

 fetching 16s. to 17s. 6d., and the poorer 

 qualities down to 8s. 



Some of the special advantages in 

 vanilla culture for tropical Australia lie 

 in the fact of its requiring very little 

 clearing of land. Scrub land with the 

 trees standing— i.e., fairly heavily shaded 

 clearings — are essential. 



In this part of Queensland the felling 

 of the heavy scrub often costs 30s. to 40s. 

 per acre, and anything up to another £10 

 may be expended in clearing it for plant- 

 ing; this is at once eliminated, and the 

 lightest of brushing at a cost of a few 

 shillings per acre substituted for it. 

 The work is light and easy, no digging 

 or ploughing being involved, and can be 

 done by women and children. Vanilla 

 is, in fact, the least troublesome in its 

 culture of almost any agricultural staple. 



The returns per acre are high and 

 often very large, and the product is of 

 high value per bulk and not readily 

 perishable, and, therefore, lends itself 

 to cultivation in places that are as yet 

 the more difficult of access and the 

 transport from which of the more bulky 

 staples is a matter of some moment. No 

 diseases are known to exist on Vanilla 

 here, and the climate, soil, and rainfalls 

 are particularly in its favour. 



When Vanilla was first introduced 

 into Queeensland it is difficult to say. 

 Mr. L. A. Bernays mentions two varie- 

 ties having been already introduced iuto 

 Queensland in his " Cultural Industries" 

 dated 1883, but Baron F. von Mueller 

 omits any reference to the plant in his 

 " Select Extra-tropical Plants," dated 

 1888, which would seem extraordinary. 



The Vanilla of commerce is the dried 

 and prepared pods of several species of 

 climbing orchids. The name "Vanilla" 

 is said to be the diminutive of the 

 Spanish " vaina," a pod. Vanilla is a 

 native of Central and South America, 

 and is cultivated in Mexico, Brazil, 

 Honduras, Guadelope, Reunion, Mauri- 

 tius, the Seychelles, Java, Tahiti, the 

 S. S. Islands, in Polynesia, &c, 



There are eight or more known varieties 

 that produce marketable pods, of which 

 five are found in Mexico. The three best 

 known varieties are V. planijolia, V. 

 sylvatica, and V. pompona. V, planijolia 

 produces long, thin pods of great aroma, 

 which, however, require treatment ; the 

 pods of V. sylvatica are found to split to 

 an undue extent, which reduces the 

 value of the product, and V. pompona 

 pods are small and short, another dis- 

 advantage in marketing, though these 

 pods may be left on the vine to blown. 



V. planifulia is the best variety for 

 cultivation, and as it is of this variety 

 only that plants, or rather cuttings,' can 

 be obtained in this country, the follow- 

 ing cultural notes, unless otherwise 

 specified, may be taken as alluding to 

 this species only- 



The Vanilla vine is of exceedingly 

 handsome habit of growth, and, like 

 most orchids, is a true epiphyte, so that 

 while requiring a support— a living tree 

 by preference— to grow on, it obtains 

 none of its nutiiments from that tree. 

 As a plant it is curious in that neither 

 the flowers, leaves, nor pods in the green 

 state have any scent, and give no idea, 

 therefore, of the fine aroma and flavour 

 that are developed on the pods being 

 cured ; in that its flowers are very rarely 

 fertilised by natural means ; and also in 

 that, though an orchid, to thrive it must 

 have connection with the ground. At 



