6 



Pollination. (PI. II). In Hawaii the flowers do not produce fruit 

 unless fertilized by hand. This must be done the morning they 

 open. One man can operate 1000 flowers from sunrise to 10 or 11 

 A. M. in case the operation is successful the flower remains attached 

 to its stalk, otherwise it drops of£ in three days. 



"The flower is taken in the left hand, three fingers being placed at 

 its back and the thumb in front, the column with organs of fertil- 

 ization on top being supported against the middle sepal behind. A bit 

 of hard wood, cut the size of a toothpick and scraped smooth and 

 flat at one end, is the only tool required; this is held in the right 

 hand between the thumb and forefinger. To get at the organs of 

 fertilization easily, the sack which grows from the side of the column 

 enveloping its front and marking the sexual organs is pressed down by 

 the bit of wood, or this is run through its base, and the sack torn 

 up, or the whole sack _may be plucked off with finger and thumb, it 

 matters not how it is laid open, so long as this is done quickly and 

 without injury to any other part of the flower. The smooth end of 

 the fecundating instrument is then laid flat on the front of the column, 

 just beneath the organs of fertilization, and being pushed up, (fig. 12), 

 it catches under the flap which keeps the pollen from coming in contact 

 with the stigma. The flap is raised along with the stick till it lies flat 

 against the upper part of the column, (fig. 13), being held in that po- 

 sition by the bit of wood. The stamen, at first raised along with the 

 flap, now falls down again into its original position, and the flap 

 being out of the way, the pollen comes into contact with 

 the stigma, and a slight pressure of the thumb on the stamen lodges 

 the pollen in the position required, (fig. 15) ; the bit of stick being 

 then quickly but gently withdrawn, the operation is complete."* 



Harvesting. The fruit reaches maturity 6 to 8 months after the 

 flowers are pollinated. The pods become hard, thick, turn greenish- 

 yellow, and a slight bruising sound is audible when the ripe pod is 

 pressed between the fingers. To prevent splitting, pods should be 

 gathered the day they ripen. The pod is taken near the stem-end be- 

 tween the thumb and forefinger, twisted from right to left and pressed 

 aside with the thumb. Attached pieces of flower-stalk are later cut 

 away, but breaks or cracks in the pod itself, rank it as inferior in 

 quality. Pods picked before maturity are deficient in perfume and 

 more subject to fungus growth. 



The gathered pods are spread out and exposed to the air for 24 

 hours. During this time they are sorted as follows: 1, ripe and perfect; 

 2, unripe but perfect; 3, split; 4, spotted, or, having black points 

 or pieces of flower-stalk attached; 5, curved pods. Attached pieces 

 of flower-stalk must be carefully cut away and black points should 

 be removed. The curing should begin wnen a sufficient quantity of 

 vanilla has accumulated, as otherwise the pods would split or become 

 mouldy. 



Vanilla is prepared for the market in various ways. The best 

 results have been obtained in Mexico. All methods have been care- 

 fully studied and the results compared at this Station. A modifica- 

 tion of the Mexican method is recommended as a result of these 

 investigations. This method is based on scientific principles, is simple 

 in application, requires but a small outlay for buildings and produces 

 a finished article of superior quality. 



* Galbraith, Vanilla Culture; Div. Bot,, Bui. 21, U. S. Dept. Agric, 1898, p. 15. 



