and Magazine of the Ceylon Agricultural Society.— Nov., 1910. 



479 



THE PRODUCTION OF VANILLA. 



Mr. J R Jackson, F. l. s., has forwarded a note 

 in connection with the extended cultivation of 

 vanilla that has been taking place, and its effect 

 on future production. He points out that as re- 

 gards Reunion, the British Consul at that place 

 reports that the overproduction of recent years 

 has ceased. This is shown by a consideration of 

 the following figures, which give the output for 

 the last four seasons : 1906-7, 35,588 kilos.; 1907-8, 

 48,865 kilos.; 1908-9, 70,000 kilos.; 1909 10,39,500 

 kilos. Mr. Jackson states, further, that prices 

 are said to have risen considerably, so that the 

 average for the best quality is now 29s 6d per 

 kilo., as against one of 18s, last year, and those 

 of the other qualities have advanced in propor- 

 tion. The result is that, as the British Consul 

 points out, several vanilla-producing countries 

 are limiting the output. Further information is 

 given by Mr. Jackson, as to prices, at the vanilla 

 auction in London, at the end of last July: Sey 

 chelles, good long, 14s per lb.; common split, 

 short, 9s 9d ; Ceylon, fair to good, medium, 13s 

 6d ; down to inferior qualities, 8s 9d to lis per 

 lb.— Agricultural News, Sept. 17. 



COPRA AND SUGAR IN JAVA. 



Under the heading " Consular Reports' 1 in the 

 " West India Committee Circular" for June 21, 

 1910, we find the following note on copra and 

 sugar in Java : 



The exports of copra from Java in 1909 were 

 considerably smaller than those of the preced- 

 ing year, and crop prospects for 1 910 are not con- 

 sidered favourable. The question of quality has 

 of late been receiving the earnest attention of 

 shippers of this article, and efforts are being 

 made to raise the standard which has during 

 the past few years gradually become lower. 

 Carelessness in preparation and indiscriminate 

 plucking of immature nuts are the causes of de- 

 terioration. Exports for 1907, 1908, and 1909 

 were 68,000 tons, 94,976 tons, and 72,000 tons 

 respectively. — Philippine Agricultural Review, 

 for September 1910. 



VANILLA IN THE SEYCHELLES. 



Information concerning the markets for vanilla 

 was given recently in the Agricultural News{Vol. 

 IX, p 52). Additional facts are contained in the 

 Bulletin of the Imperial Institute, Vol. VII, No. 

 4, with special reference to the state of the vanilla 

 growing industry in the Seychelles. According 

 to this, the crop of the spice in 1908 amounted 

 24'75 tons, as against 66 - 5tonsin 1907, the cause 

 of the decline being the weakening of the plants 

 alter the heavy yield of tho preceding season. 

 The best of the Seychelles vanilla is said to be 

 sold in France ; tho reason for this is that the 

 market for the finer kinds is better there than 

 in the United Kingdom. The price of vanilla 

 does not show any improvement, as artificial 

 •'anillin continues to compete with it more se- 

 ,erely than ever. For this reason, experiments 

 in manuring, &c, have been instituted in recent 

 years, in order to find means of lowering the cost 

 of production. So far, the results have shown 



that the application of ground limestone, or of 

 nitrate of soda, gives an increase in the yield of 

 pods, and that the latter manure tends to prolong 

 the period during which the plants are in bear- 

 ing. Plants grown in a mixture of fern roots and 

 soil gave better returns than those planted in 

 ordinary soil, probably becauso the roots of the 

 ferns are rich in lime. It has been found advan- 

 tageous to grow the plants under shade. 



Manurial experiments and analyses of the ash 

 of the plants have shown that the most important 

 manurial constituents for vanilla are lime, soda 

 and phosphates ; potash and magnesia are less 

 important. Investigations as to the effect of each 

 of these constituents are now being made. — Agri- 

 cultural News, April 2. 



' BICHET ' ON CACAO. 



A sample of the growth on cacao known as 

 'bichet,' in Grenada; has been received from Mr. 

 G G Auchinleck, B.Sc, Agricultural Superin- 

 tendent in that island. In forwarding this, Mr. 

 Auchinleck states that it may be described as the 

 result of the rapid subdivision of the roots of 

 cacao near tho surface, under a leaf mulch, so 

 that the minute rootlets seize upon partly de- 

 cayed leaves, twigs, &c, and give rise to a mass 

 of inter-tangled fibres. 



The name ' bichet 1 is employed in the patois 

 of the island for the growth, and is probably de- 

 rived from a similar dialect word meaning ' sieve, 1 

 owing to the rough resemblance of the structure 

 to the meshes of a sieve. 



The development of the bichet is looked upon 

 as a proof of lack of care, for it only occurs where 

 a mulch lies undisturbed for long periods. The 

 growth is healthy, as it indicates that food is 

 being rapidly absorbed by the plant from which 

 it springs. Any advantage in this direction ap- 

 pears, however, to be outweighed by the fact that 

 during drought, the very possession of it by a 

 tree results in markedly bad effects. 



Mr Auchinleck states, further, that the growths 

 of bichet are usually cut away deliberately, in 

 view of the harm that they are supposed to effect. 

 The subject is of interest, in view of the success 

 that has been obtained in Dominica by actually 

 applying mulches of grass and leaves to cacao 

 and it would be valuable to know if there is any 

 connection between the roots in bichet and the 

 useful roots that are developed more deeply when 

 mulching of the kind practised in Dominica is 

 employed. — Agricultural News, April 2. 



CLOTH FROM BANANA FIBRE. 



Found to be Partly Ramie ! 

 With reference to the notice in tho "Board 

 of Trade Journal " of July 28th relative to cloth 

 made in China from banana fibre, the Com- 

 mercial Intelligence Branch of the Board of 

 Trade are informed by the Colonial Office that, 

 as a result of the examination at the Imperial 

 Institute of a sample of the cloth, the weft 

 only has been found to bo composed of tho 

 banana fibre, while the warp consists of China 

 grass or ramie fi bre.— Board of Trade Journal, 

 Oct. 13. 



