|uNE I, 1894.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
813 
THE CULTIVATION OF VANILLA IN TAHITI. 
The cultivation of vauilla has been carried on iu 
the Island of Tahiti for several years, but is limited 
to a few districts only, that of Papara supplying 
more than half of the quantity sent into the market. 
Consul Hawes, of Tahiti, says that the native method 
of culture is, as a rule, simply to plant the cuttings 
of the vine under the shade of trees, and then to 
leave them to grow and twine round supports as 
best they can. Occasionally attention is paid to keep 
the vines trained round the trees, and to prevent 
them from attaining a greater height than nine feet, 
BO that during the inoculating season the flowers 
may be reached without difficulty. Shade is abso- 
lutely necessary during the growth of the vanilla 
vine to ensure a successful crop of beans. About 
one year from the time of planting the vine commences 
to flower, and the inoculation whi(?h then takes place 
must be carefully attended to ; this is generally 
carried out by women and children, whose light 
hands are best suited for this delicate operation. 
In from six to nine months from the time of inocul- 
ation the bean will be ripe for picking and curing. 
The native method of curing is to keep the beans 
alternately indoors rolled in cloth and out of doors 
daring the day spread on mats exposed to the sun 
for periods of three or four days at a time until 
they are dried and ready for the market. The dis- 
advantage of drying on mats in the open, of having 
beans frequently wetted and deteriorated in value 
by sudden showers before there is time to get them 
under cover, has made itself apparent to many 
Dative planters, who now dry their vanilla in boxes 
with glass covers. They are usually filled three- 
quarters full, the beans being placed on a blanket 
in the bottom of each box, and covered with a 
double thickness of blanket at the top. The glas^ 
lids are then put on, and the boxes exposed to the 
sun for about fifteen days, when the beans are 
generally found to be sufficiently sweated to admit 
of their removal to the drying house. This building 
is constructed throughout of corrugated iron, and 
contains three tiers of wire shelves. The beans are 
laid on the top tier first, then they are moved to 
the second and third in succession as they 
gradually dry, and remain on the latter until they 
are perfectly dry and tit fur the market. Consul 
Hawes says that Tahiti vanilla is inferior to that of 
Mexico, Bourbon, and Mauritius, and this drawback 
is not improved by the careless manner in which 
the natives and even Europeans dry and tie the 
bundles of beans for export. The export trade in 
this article has increased considerably during the 
last ten years, the United States being the principal 
market, although small quantities are sent from time 
to time to France and England. The total quantity 
of vanilla exported in 1883 from Tahiti amounted 
to 2761b.; in 1890 it amounted to L'j,882 lb., and 
this quantity increased in 189.i to i?5,5(j01b., valued 
at f4,418. — Journal of the Societij of Arts. 
^ 
MOTIVE POWER FOE TEA ESTATES. 
We think that the information placed at the 
disposal of our London Correspondent by the 
manufaotutera of several deaoriptiona of motors 
may prove of material service to our planters. 
For it oaoDot be denied that every day inoreasea 
the general anxiety reapeotiog what will have to 
be done when our present very limited suppliea 
of wood fuel for estate engines becomes altogether 
exhausted. Of course, suoh estates as lie oonti- 
gaous to the lowoountry forests need not for a 
long time to oomo give oonaideration to thia matter. 
It ia quite different, however, with reapGot to 
those aituated nearer to the centre of our great 
planting enterprise. These have already felt the 
pinoh for years, and the superintendents of many 
of these have for some time past had to rely almost 
ootirely on ooal, an imported fuel always very 
ooatly, and likely, wo fear, in this ago of atrikoa 
and iaoreaaiiig wagoa, to buoome mora bo. Already 
we have beard tbtt, on Bome estatoa so oiroum- 
atanoed, the ooal received has oost upwards of £4 
per ton. It will be manifest that under suoh 
conditions reliable information as to alternative 
Bourcea of power must be acceptable. It ia fortu- 
nate that in a very large number of oasea water- 
power is available aa the motor for estates. We 
believe Mr. Rutherford, when recently here, 
discussed with aome of hia fellow-planters a acheme 
for eatablishing central sources whence this power 
might be widely distributed by electrical transmission. 
This idea, we have been told, he has however 
felt compelled to abandon, and although not fully 
informed as to the grounds of this compulsion, 
we can imagine it to be the costly nature of the 
long leada that would be required and the liability 
to theft of the copper — always valuable and of 
ready sale— of which suoh leada would be compoaed. 
It aeema likely on all accounts that estate pro- 
prietors must be left to provide their own power 
in all cases. It caonot, we should say, be long 
before either the ateam enginea or their boilers 
on moat of our estates will require renewal. 
Probably fifteen, or at the outside twenty, years 
may be regarded as the utmost limit of safe 
workmg for the latter, and the engines themselves, 
under the conditions upon which they are 
worked upon estates, can hardly have a much 
longer life, or must at least need extensive 
and costly renewals. A large proportion of our 
tea factories have now been worked almost 
up to that limit, and we should imagine that the 
ne^eaaity for fresh outlay on motive power ia 
now seriously engaging the attention of many 
superintendents. In view of the increasing diffi- 
culty of obtaining fuel, it is more than likely that 
the minds of many of these are being exercised in 
the direction of aome alternative to steam-power. 
Already we know that some of the large pro- 
prietora are discardiDg their former agent and are 
erecting turbines whenever it may be practicable 
to do so. The Eastern Produce and Estates Com- 
pany haa, we believe, been foremost in this work, 
and has already largely superseded by it the steam 
engines that have up till now served ita purposes. 
Many more, we believe, among our estate proprie- 
tors would be glad to follow this example did 
natural conditions admit of their doing so. Failing 
these, they must of necessity either determine on 
a replacement of worn-out machinery erelong, or 
they must seek for an alternative demanding at 
baa amount of, or less ooatly, fuel than what they 
now have to use. The details afforded by our 
London Letter under these circumatances, we are 
sure, will prove a useful guide to many. The 
advantage^ taking the oonditiona all round, appears 
to our correspondent to real with the Priestman'a 
oil-engine. He discusses with this, however, the 
gaa-produoing plant and gas-angines of the well- 
known Birmiugbam firm of engine-makers, the 
Messrs. Tangye. These last appear to him to 
have some advantages not posaeased by the oil- 
engines first mentioned. But on the whole he 
would give the preference to the apecial forma of 
oil-engine manufactured by Meaara. Prieatman 
Brothora. He tells us that one of theae last- 
mentioned enginea was some time back sent out 
to Ceylon through the agency of Messra. Walker, 
and that none but favourable acoounta have been 
rcc ivod of ita working. Indeed theae aocounta 
have bacn so aatisfactory that a aecond engine 
of the same typo, but of increased power, 13 H.P. 
haa now been dospalohod, and probably the 
ownora of both theso engine.s would favour ua 
with their cxpcriencea with them. The objc6tion 
long entortainert by our correapondoni agoinst oil- 
engines, namely tliat the smell of the oil might tftiut 
the tea, appeaia to have been removed by hid 
