62 



UOYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



The soil is retained in the beds by rough stone walls built 

 round their sides to the height of about 18 inches. 



"Whether the soil be clay or not, as digging cannot be done 

 round the roots of trees or shrubs without injuring them, the 

 beds should be raised round the base of the stems, and the soil 

 retained in them in the manner just described. Where the • 

 nature of the soil will admit, the beds should be dug out to the 

 depth of 18 inches, and constructed similarly to those which are 

 raised above the surface. Beds on the surface of the soil are the 

 best ; but they give a place an untidy air, that does not become 

 a gentleman's residence. 



Although the vanilla is an epiphyte, it will, nevertheless, grow 

 well in the soil, if it be of a suitable nature. If it were not for 

 that, I doubt if it would bear such large crops of fruit as it 

 annually does here. 



The soil best suited to it is a mixture of rough peat, vegetable 

 mould, decomposed manure, and river-sand, about equal parts of 

 each. Add to that mixture a large quantity of leaves and small 

 branches, in all stages of decomposition, and a quantity of rough 

 stones varying in size up to that of a child's head. The use of the 

 stones, sand, and branches is to keep the soil open and free, so 

 that all its parts can be easily reached by the thick fleshy roots 

 of the plants without being rotted. The Vanilla is easily pro- 

 pagated by cuttings, which may vary in length from a foot to 

 3 or 4 feet. This may be regulated by the quantity required, and 

 what can be obtained. Long cuttings taken from the plants just 

 after flowering will in all probability bear a crop the ensuing 

 season. They are therefore preferable to short ones, which re- 

 quire at least two seasons before they produce much fruit. 

 "When the cuttings are short, they are generally planted in an 

 upright position, with one or two nodes in the soil ; but when 

 they are long, about a foot of the base is laid horizontally about 

 3 inches or so below the surface, with the heads in an upright 

 position. The soft tender points should be cut off, as, being 

 in a growing state, they require a great amount of nourishment, 

 which cannot at the time be supplied to them ; the cuttings in 

 consequence are so weakened that they take a long time to 

 recover, and seldom make good plants. !N"ew plantations may be 

 made at any time during the year ; but the best times are at the 

 commencement of the periodical rains, when cloudy dull weather 

 can, comparatively speaking, be depended upon, or when the 



