August  i,  1-92.] 
FHE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
”7 
pression  of  the  disaster  like  that  which  overtook 
the  island  on  April  29th  last,  but  the  news  of  which 
(Mauritius  nofebeing  yet  connected  by  telegraph  with  the 
outer  world)  reached  us  only  at  the  end  of  last  week. 
On  this  occasion  half  the  sugar  crop  is  reported 
to  be  destroyed,  and  what  that  means  may  be 
gathered  from  the  fact  that  sugar,  rum,  and  molasses 
practically  spell  the  whole  means  of  existence  of 
the  population.  There  is,  however,  one  other  in- 
dustry in  the  island  which  though  small  compared 
with  the  culture  of  the  sugar-cane,  is  of  particular 
interest  to  the  drug  trade.  That  industry  is  vanilla. 
Mauritius  has  for  many  years  been  one  of  the  principal 
vaniila-producmg  countries,  and  as  nearly  all  the 
vanilla  grown  in  the  island  is  consigned  to  London 
for  sale,  any  serious  damage  to  the  vanilla  crop  may 
be  expected  to  react,  in  the  first  place,  upon  the 
London  market.  The  neighbouring  French  island  of 
BourboD,  which  grows  about  one-half  of  all  the  vanilla 
in  tho  world,  sends  it9  produce  to  Franoe  ; while 
Mexico,  the  next  greatest  source,  has  hitherto  shipped 
most  of  her  crop  to  the  United  States,  where  probably 
more  of  the  drug  is  used  than  in  any  otter  Cjiiatry 
in  the  world.  It  would  be  very  interesting  to  know 
precisely  what  damage,  if  any,  the  vanilla  vines  have 
suffered  from  the  April  hurricane;  but  upon  this 
point  no  positive  information  appears  to  have  yet  been 
received.  There  exist,  however,  certain  faotors  from 
which  we  may  form  negative  conclusions,  and  these 
factors  seem  to  warrant  the  view  that,  even  if  the 
worst  fears  of  iojury  to  the  plants  should  be  con- 
firmed, there  is  no  ground  for  any  serious  advance  in 
the  value  of  the  drug.  If  we  glauce  at  the  production 
of  vanilla  in  these  Eastern  islands  during  the  last  twenty 
years  we  find  that  there  have  been  but  few  really  bad 
harvests,  while,  until  quite  recently,  the  cultivation  must 
have  been  a very  profitable  branch  of  occupation, 
judging  by  the  steady  increase  in  the  exports  from 
Bourbon,  Mauritius,  and  the  Seychelles.  Neither  in 
Ceylon,  nor  in  the  West  Indian  Islands,  where  vanilla 
was  introduced  many  years  ago,  does  the  industry 
appear  to  have  made  any  real  progress.  The  reason 
probably  is  that  vanilla-growing  is  essentially  a pains- 
taking and  laborious  business  well  suited  to  the  habits 
and  means  of  the  small  French  or  Franco-Creole 
cultivator,  but  quite  unadapted  to  the  ways  of  the 
Auglo-Indian  planter,  whose  strength  lies  in  the  pro- 
duction of  heavy  staple  goods.  The  vanilla-vine 
commences  to  yield  fruit  in  the  third  year,  and  con- 
tinues to  bear  for  fifteen  or  twenty  seasons.  Great 
care  is  neoessary  at  the  flowering  period,  when  the 
plants  must  be  fructified  by  hand,  and  the  curing 
also  involves  considerable  labour  and  risk.  On  the 
other  hand,  the  yield  per  acre  is  very  considerable, 
and  a small  plantation,  it  is  said  luruishe3  enongb, 
in  good  years,  to  provide  for  the  entire  wants  of  a 
small  cultivator.  One  reasou  for  assuming  that  the 
Mauritius  vanilla  plants  have  suffered  less  damage 
from  the  recent  hurricane  than  ether  crops  is  that 
the  principal  work  of  destruction  seems  to  have  been 
done  on  the  North-Western  coast  of  the  island. 
Vuntiia,  however,  is  not  grown  upon  the  slopes  front- 
ing the  sea,  as  it  oould  not  withstand  the  clima- 
tic influences  prevailing  there,  but  upon  the  de- 
clivities lacing  inland,  where  the  force  of  the 
wind  was  probably  less  than  in  more  exposed  posi- 
tions, and  where  the  vine  is  trained  either  against 
huge  erections  of  trellis  work  or  against  trees  left 
expressly  for  its  support.  The  hurrioaue  ocourred 
just  at  the  time  when  the  pods  which  have  grown  from 
the  last  October  blossoms  would  be  approaching 
maturity.  The  green  pods  are  gathered  in  May 
and  June,  but  they  have  then  to  undergo  a lengthy 
process  ofjeuring,  and  in  the  ordinary  oour-ie  arrive  upon 
the  European  markets  towards  the  close  of  the  year. 
It  has  beeu  estimated,  upon  apparently  good  autho- 
rity that  the  world’s  consumption  of  vanilla  is  about 
230,000  lb.  per  annum.  The  calculation  was  made  a 
fow  years  ago,  since  when  there  has  probably  been 
little  increase  in  the  requirements,  as  vanilliD,  the 
synthetic  produot,  has  ucuiped  the  place  of  the  na- 
tural drug  in  many  branches  of  manufacture.  But, 
assuming  that  the  consumption  is  now  250,000 
lb.  per  annum,  the  depreciation  whioh  vanilla 
has  undergone  during  the  last  two  or  three  years 
appears  fully  justified  by  the  increased  output  for  the 
crops  of  Bourbon,  Mauritius,  and  the  Seychelles 
alone  are  estimated  at  about  260,000  lb.  in  1891, 
200,000  lb.  in  1890,  150,000  lb.  in  1889,  180,000  lb.  in 
1888  and  350,000  lb.  in  1887.  Add  to  this  the  Mexican 
production,  which  in  good  years  is  perhaps  100,000  lb., 
and  it  will  be  seen  that  there  is  probably  a suffi- 
ciency of  old  stock  in  the  various  centres  to  enable 
us  to  do  without  the  40,000  lb.  a year  or  so  which 
we  may  expect  from  Mauritius  without  any  fear  of 
a vanilla  famine.  It  is  only  about  seven  years  ago 
since  the  Seychelles  began  to  produce  vanilla  in  com- 
mercial quantities.  Seasons  and  prioes  have  been 
adverse  to  the  development  of  the  new  industry  in 
those  islands  ; yet  the  1891  crop  is  believed  to  have 
actually  exceeded  that  of  Mauritius  in  quantity.  The 
appearance  of  the  Seychelles  vanilla  is  generally  good, 
although  the  pods  aro  somewhat  deficient  in  flavour, 
and,  judging  from  the  quantities  which  they  have 
poured  upen  the  London  market  this  seasoD,  they 
are  likely,  if  Mauritius  failed  us,  to  be  able  to  supply 
the  deficiency  without  much  difficulty.  In  the  early 
spring  of  1879,  and  again  in  February  1881,  cyclones 
visited  Mauritius,  and  caused  a temporary  advance  in 
the  price  of  vanilla,  but  tbe  earliest  reports  of  des- 
truction upon  which  these  rises  were  based  soon 
proved  greatly  exaggerated,  and  the  market,  ere  long 
went  on  as  if  nothing  lud  happened. — Chemist  and 
Druggist , June  4th. 
CEYLON  TEA  IN  AUSTRALIA. 
The  Melbourne  Argus  of  30th  May  reports  the 
sale  of  80  chests  of  Ceylon  tea  at  7d  to  Is.  In 
its  issue  of  1st  June  the  Argus  has  the  following 
At  auction  217  packages  Indian  teas  at  5id  to  8d 
and  40  chests  Ceylon  at  8d  to  lOd  were  quitted. 
Private  sales  include  170  chests  Ceylon  at  8d  to  Is  2d. 
A heavy  clearance  of  tea,  covering  about  500,0001b., 
has  been  effected  at  the  Customs  today,  and  will  re- 
duce the  stocks  as  stated  below.  Our  compilation  of 
tea  statistics  for  the  week  ended  Saturday  last,  28th 
inst.,  is  as  follows: — 

_ 
Corresponding 
Week  Last  Year 
Entered  for  bond 
Lb. 
589,472 
Lb. 
38,120 
Duty  paid 
( Ex  ship  . . 
1 Ex  bond  . . 
88,178 
61,339 
3,979 
160,011 
t Ex  bond 
32,479 
36,398 
Exportation 
< Under  draw- 
( back 
114,613 
34,885 
Stated  in  the  ordinary  form,  the  particulars  for  tlie 
week  areas  follows: — Receipts  of  tea  into  bond  las 
week  comprised  8 chests,  11,666  half-chests,  and  784 
boxes  China,  and  566  chests  and  446  half-chests  In' 
dian  and  Ceylon.  Deliveries  for  home  consumption 
consisted  of  196  chests,  771  half-chests,  and  890  boxes, 
against  353  chests,  2,800  half-chests,  and  744  boxes 
for  the  corresponding  week  last  year.  Deliveries  for 
export  were  8 chests,  802  half-chests,  and  404  boxes, 
against  32  chests,  863  half-chests,  and  119  boxes  for 
the  corresponding  week  last  year.  The  stocks  in  bond 
on  the  28th  inst.  will  be  found  stated  in  packages 
below.  Converted  into  weight  the  figures  compare 
with  those  at  same  date  last  year  as  follows : — 
May  30,  1891.  May  28, 1892. 
Lb.  Lb. 
China  tea  . . . . 3,131,452  765,046 
Indian  and  Ceylon  tea  953,965  237,125 
In  stating  the  stocks  for  the  corresponding  date  last 
year  allowance  is  made  for  the  corrections  which  the 
Customs  found  necessary  in  June  last,  viz.,  an  under- 
statement of  1,548,0041b.  China,  and  an  over-state- 
ment of  357,8801b.  Indian  and  Ceylon.  The  value  of 
the  statement  as  a comparison  of  stocks  is  vitiated 
by  the  large  quantity  lately  transferred  to  duty-paid 
stocks. 
In  its  issue  of  2nd  June  tho  Argus  reports  the  sale 
of  50  packages  of  Ceylon  tea  at  OJd  to  9*d  ; and 
