July 1, 1902.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
43 
der dark-coloured blankets, and sweating in the house 
in tight tins or boxes. Experience ia tho only teacher 
as to when the bean hag arrived at tho proper stage of 
dryness. 
I have to differ from I\Ir Carter regarding a few of his 
statements. For one thing, the vanilla is essentially a 
terrestrial orchid, and derives h, large part of its susten- 
ance from the soil, la proof of this, in any old, 
neglected plantalionis plants may be found which have 
been uprooted or broken off. When this happens, the 
part erf the vine which ia left at once tidies on a sickly 
yellow hue and sends down long roots — I have seen 
some of these over thirty feet long — which on reaching 
the soil take root, and the vine at once recovers. The 
small teudrillsdo not feed upon the trees to which they 
oling, these being simply used as '.uohorsfor tlie vine. 
This refers to live trees ; when the tendrils come upon 
a decayed branch, or when the tree upon which the 
vanilla is trained dies, they then change their character, 
becoming elongated and entering into the decayed 
places as proper roots, and evidently feed upon it. 
In his estimate of the possible crop and probable 
profit I caunot agree with Mr Garter. First, an esti- 
mate of four beans to a vine is ridiculously small. 
If a vine has only one bunch of flowers, that ought 
to give from eight to twenty flowers — we usually have 
eight to ten beans to a bunch ; bui it ia a very poor 
vine which does not give in the year over ten bunches 
of flowers. However, to be safely within the mark, 
let as say that each vine averages five bunches of 
flowers, giving six beans to the bunch, or thirty 
beans to the vine. This v.'ill give three thousand 
beans to the hundred vines. Taking these at a 
hundred and fifty beans to the pound, the usual 
average, we have twenty pounds as the crop. This 
at our average price of six shillings gives six pounds 
sterling, or at the price mentioned by him — twenty 
shiUings — twenty pounds, Where he is wrong is in 
the weight. One thousand beans — and they must be 
the best — will weigh fifty pounds, but only when 
they are green ; and in the process of curing they 
lose at least three-quarters of their weight. Figures, 
however, are sometimes misleading, and I cannot do 
better than give aa an example the result from a 
smuU plantation in which I am interested. A careful 
account of the expenditure and receipt has been kept. 
At the end of three years and a half from the time 
of planting the vines we have paid back all that has 
been expended upon them, and have a small balance 
in hand. A man here with three or four acres of 
vanilla has a competence ; with ten or more he is 
rich ; and for one who likes to potter around among 
flowers in the temperature of a greenhouse I cannot 
imagine a life more attractive. 
By the wav, although the fruit of the vanilla is in 
no sense a bean, it is invariably called by that name. 
Our vanilla is one of the most speculative crops, 
rivalling hops in that respect. I have known it to 
sell for two shillings a pound — that was ten years 
ago and it has never gone below four shillings since 
and again for sixteen shillings. The average price, 
however, is six shillings ; and, as we estimate that it 
costs two shillings per pound to grow and cure, a 
fair margin of profit is left for the grower. 
I will conclude with a little information for brother- 
planters. Vanilla possesses two irritant poisons, which, 
like some other vegetable poisons, act differently 
upon different individuals. To a few they are innocuous. 
The juice of the vine, or even the rain or dew from 
off the leaves, produces in some an itching sensation 
somewhat resembling ' pvickly beat.' The dry or 
partially dry beans produce small blisters on the 
hands of some of thone constantly handling them, and 
in extreme cases sores upon the arms and body, 
which all itch incessantly. I have suffered slightly for 
years from these, and have only lately found what 
seems to be a cure ; in my case it h;v3 proved a specific. 
This is carbolic acid. I use a mixture of equal parts 
of carbolic acid, glycerine, and rose-water, rubbed 
on upon going to bed. I have tried the sarne remedy 
upon a number of natives, and have cured them all, 
Was hing with Calvert's 20 per cent carbolic sor-p. 
afte r handling the beans, act a preventive. — 
Cha mljcrs' Jowml, May 1 
INDIAN TEA ASSOCIATION, 
BOUNTY ON GEEEN TEAS. 
Calcutta, May 31, 1902. 
The following arrangements, regarding the pay- 
ment of bounty on the manufacture of Green teas, 
have been decided upon for the current season. 
(a) That the bounty will be paid on dOlJ,000 lb. as 
against 200,000 lb. last year. 
{b) That the bounty will be the same as last year, 
viz., l.V annas perlb. 
Of the total quantity of 100,000 lb. on which the 
bounty will be paid the Baraoora (Sylhet) Tea Com- 
pa.ny. Limited, have offered to make one-half, and this 
offer has been accepted by the London Committee. 
There remains, therefore, 200,000 lb, upon which the 
bounty will be paid to other gardens. The object of 
the London Committee in accepting the offer of the 
Baraoora Company is to ensure that a larger quantity 
of green tea shall be made, as it was somewhat dis- 
appointing to find that the bounty was earned upon 
only 72,703 lb. last year, 
2. Olasjoj? Tea to be Manupactueed.— Enquiries 
have been made of the recipients of last year's bounty, 
which was given on green tea of the Gunpowder, 
Hyson and Young Hyson varieties, as well aa upon 
green Pekoe and Pekoe Souchong kinds similar to 
the Ueylon type. The consensus of opinion is that 
unfaced greens of the China type are preferred, as they 
come into competition at once with the class of tea 
with which the consumer is already acquainted. But 
the fact that Ceylon exported to America last year 
upwards of one million pounds of green tea and is 
continuing to manufacture for America affords evi- 
dence that there is a market there for both classes, 
and therefore no restrictions will be placed upon the 
class of tea to be manufatured. 
3. The bounty will be paid subject to the follow- 
ing rules : — 
(a) The General Committee propose to leave the 
decision, as to what may be suitable for the Ameri- 
can and other green tea markets, largely to the 
discretion of those who make the tea, and do not 
require that experimental samples should be submitted 
for their approval before the tea is made. 
(b) They reserve the right, however, to defer pay- 
ment of the bounty in any case where after ex- 
amination of samples drawn under clause {d) thay 
think the tea is likely to be found unsuitable, unti 
production of a certificate showing its bona fide sale 
at a price not under the equivalent of three annas 
per lb. in Calcutta for any separate grade in the 
invoice. 
(c) The Committee, while they do not require the 
previous submission of samples, nevertheless re- 
commend those who intend to make tea in considera- 
tion of the bounty to submit samples to them for 
the examination and report of experts. The leaf to 
be used for the manufacture of green tea should not be 
coarser than that ordinarily plucked for black tea 
manufacture. 
(c?) When teas upon which the bounty is claimed 
have arrived at port of shipment, samples should be 
drawn and sent to the Committee ; and on approval 
of these, and ou proof of sale or shipment, the bounty 
will be paid. 
(e) There is no objection to the teas being sold 
on the Gilcutta market if the producer so desires. 
(/) It is proposed to pay the bounty only to those 
gardens which have subscribed in 1901 to the American 
and Foreign Market Fund, or to the Indian Tea 
Markets Expflnsion Fund. 
4 I am directed to ask those who intend to make 
green teas to inform me of their intention as soon 
as possibla, stating the quantity they intend 
making. It will be understood, however, that such 
an imtimation will impose no obligation either on the 
g;irdon to make the teH', or ou tho Committee to p.iy 
the bonn^y, should the latter not become payable — 
either under clause (b) or clause (rf) — before the 
amounl now aUotte^l has been eshausted, 
