90 THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [Aug, 1, 1902. 
everything else in proportion. Bat a fairly active 
man could earn to $12, gold, a day, at working 
rubber, and in sixtsen dayn I once mada §1,400 
cutting Caucho on the Xipury, a branch of the 
Acre. But the Caucho is gone in that region, 
and rubber is selling at 50 centa a pound in 
Ma.naos and 15 20 cents on the Acre. 
Several steamers ply between the Acre and Manaos 
and Para, at least two a week leaving Mangos for 
that river at the height of the season. The Acre is 
somewhat rich in minerals, coal gold quartz, and 
tiny emeralds having been found in various 
parts. S. G. 
Manaos, Brazil. April 14, 1902. 
CULTIVATION OP VANILLA IN 
GERMAN BAST AFRICA. 
The current number of Der TropenpAanzer (April, 
1902), the OL-gan of the G-eroain Colonial Economic 
Committee, contains an interesting article on this 
subject by Herr Blintzner, a planter who has grown 
vanilla in Africa, and who has had considerable 
experience in the preparation of this material for 
the European market. The object of the article is 
to extend the cultivation of vanilla in such German 
colonies as the Cameroons and Togoland, and for 
this purpose full information on the question of 
choosing suitable localities for the plantations, the 
artificial ripening of the pods in inclement weather 
and the proper packing of the commodity for ex- 
port to Europe are given, and may be commended 
to English planters in tropical colonies where vanilla 
cultivation is possible. 
Of the various species of plants yielding vanilla 
the one giving the best results is Vanilla planifolia, 
which begins to bear usually in the third year after 
planting and yields from 3 to 5 crops. It flowers 
in East Africa from August to November and bears 
fruit from April to July, the latter requiring about 
eight months to ripen in normal whether, and a 
further two months for drying and fermentation. 
For a plantation of about 10,000 plants, 15 labourers 
are necessary, and the wages of the latter on the 
East Coast of Africa are about 3jd. per day each. 
In forming a vanilla garden special attention should 
be paid tolthe selection of a site protected from wind 
shaded by trees from the direct heat of the sun, 
and in the neighbourhood of a stream which is not 
dried up in the hot weather. The importance of 
the latter is obvious when it is remembered that 
the roots of the plant only penetrate about twelve 
inches into the ground and, therefore, obtain watar 
only from the easily dried surface soil. For this 
reason it is necessary to have a good supply of 
water for irrigation, in dry whether. The plants 
are arranged in parrellel rows about five feet apart, 
passages being left at intervals of about 45 to 50 yards 
to permit of regular inspection of the plants. A? 
supports for the orchids poles of ebony are sufficient 
in situations where there is sufficient natural shade, 
but, if the latter is deficient, then Jatropha curcae 
may be grown in the garden to afford both shade and 
support. It is usually best to place the young vanilla 
plants for about a fortnight in a well-shaded moist 
situation where they are kept well watered, and then 
to transplant them fo the small pits about twelve 
inches deep already prepared with leaf mould for 
their reception in the plantation, the aerial portion 
of the plant being at once secured to the support 
by bast or banana fibre. The orchids should not 
be allowed to grow higher thm about 5 feet, and 
when they reach this stage the heads should be 
carefully bent towards the ground. The plants re- 
quire manuring with leaf mould or similar material 
once a year. The chief enemies of the vanilla orchid 
are beetles, snails and caterpillars, which eat the 
fleshy roots and young stems, the only remedy being 
the constant examination of the plants, and des- 
(Faction of these inaecta, when tbe^ are fouQcli The 
flowering period is an important time, since the 
plant, outside its native habitat, is not self-fertilis- 
ing, and must therefore be pollinated individually 
by hand. This work, although rather a delicate 
operation, can be readily taught to negroes. In order 
to secure pods of good quality it is necessary to 
limit the fruit production of each plant to from 20 
to 25, although in special cases the maximum limit 
may be .35; if this number be exceeded the ripe 
fruits suffer in size, appearance and flavour. Ripe- 
ness of the fruits is indicated by the formation of 
a yellowish patch at the base, and at this point 
they should be gathered by breaking the attachment 
to the seem cautiously with the finger nail. 
The operation of curing the ripe poda has an im- 
portant bearing on the quality of the vanilla ulti- 
mately obtained, and great care has to be exercised 
in the carrying ouo of the drying and fermenting 
processes. The pods, after gathering, are sorted on 
the following day into about three sizes, and placed 
in large pots warmed to about 80° G by hot water 
for about 14 'seconds, then packed in wool-lined boxes 
for a day, and finally dried with a liuen cloth and 
placed in the sun on wool-lined trays for complete 
desiccation. In wet weather the exposure to the sun 
is dispensed with and the final drying accomplished 
by careful heating in ovens kept at temperatures 
between 80° and 100° C. The prepared pods are 
then stored in drying rooms and finally in large 
metal-lined boxes. 
The preparation of the finished vanilla for the 
market, consists in sorting it into various qualities 
according to its appearance, size of pods and flavour. 
The pods of the same quality are then tied into 
bundles of about 50 to 60 each, secured with fine 
twine and packed into well-closed zinc-or parchment- 
lined boxes, capable of holding from 10 to 121b. of 
the product. — Imperial Institute Journal, 
WATERING YOUNG TREES AND 
SHRUBS. 
Amateur gardeners as a rule do not understand the 
art of watering in dry weather. When they see that 
the flowers and shrubs are drooping, they attach a 
hose to a stand pipe and thoroughly wet the — surface. 
They rarely think of looking to see how deep the 
water has penetrated, and would be astonished to 
find that after half-an-hour's hose play the soil is 
only wetted to the depth of less than a quarter of 
an inch. Such watering is worse than useless. Far 
better to mulch the soil, and trust to that for the 
preservation of moisture than to form a thin layer of 
damp soil, which only attracts the roots upwards to 
it that they maybe par-boiled by the hot morning sun. 
A good way to water shrubs is one which we 
adopted with perfect success in the case of some 
valuable coffee-trees during a very dry season. We 
took a number of beer bottles, and, with a tap of a 
pick on the bottom knob, drove the bottom neatly 
oat. These bottles were then buried neck down- 
wards close to the tree. Every night they were 
filled with water, which slowly drained away 
beneath the surface— 1 foot below. The rootlets 
then sought the needful moisture downwards instead 
of upwards, and the plants grew luxuriantly. The 
surface was never watered, but by capillary attrac- 
tion it was [kept fairly moist. 
In India, gardeners bury a porous jar like a water 
monkey unglazed. They are filled as soon as empty and 
a plug on the neck serves to keep out insects and dirt. 
If gardeners would try this plan they would save 
many a plant which would die under the ordinary 
hose treatment. — Queensland Agricultural Journal. 
- «B» 
Honour for Sir Joseph D. Hooker. — An ofiPcial 
announcement in Berlin states that Sir Joseph Del- 
ton Hooker, formerly Director of the Eoyal Gardens, 
Kew, has been appointed a Foreign Knight of the 
Order pourla Merite for Science and Axt^.—Qardmr^' 
Chronialc, 
