158 
TliE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [Sept, 1, 1902. 
growth for upwards of a year, sending down long 
Ksrial toots 15 or 20 feet in length, and in some easea 
where theas have escaped injury the broken plant may 
ra-eatablish connexion with the soil and start to grow 
again. If planted clear of the gronnd and merely 
tied to the supporting tree, it ia advisable to tie two 
or three large leaves round each vine for the distance 
of 3 feet up; thus shaded the aerial roots quickly burst 
through the stem, and getting something to cling to at 
once, soon make their way ,to earth without in- 
jury. 
LENGTH CUTTINGS TO USE. 
In starting a new vanillery, where the estate has no 
?<lirnt3 these are readily purchased here at small cost, 
rom 2 to 3 rupees (55 to 99 cents) per 100 fathoms is 
the usual rate for onttinga, the fathom being what a 
man can span with outspread arms, a Rood sweep of 
the vine hanging in a curve between hia haada. Where 
•hoioe is poaaible, akhongh oldish cuttings will grow 
pretty well, it is best to have the plants of recent 
growth ; in fact, growing shoots, cat off close to 
where they spring from the parent vine, are preferab'e 
At their point of origin the nodes for some distance 
are close together, and though roots will strike from 
any joints, they have a natural tendency to do so 
quicker at the shoot's base. As to the length of 
cuttings to plant, opinions differ ; but there can be 
no question that the longer cuttings produce cropping 
Elanta sooner than the short ones. If a 2 or 3-foot 
ranch is planted, the shoot it gives is invariably 
more slender and slower of growth than would be 
that from a 6-foot cutting, and up to 10 or 12 feet 
every advantage lies with the longer plants, except the 
additional expend* 
The question as to whether cuttings of that length 
are to be planted whole or divided into two or three 
Elantg should be settled by their cost. It is usual 
ere to loosen the soil with a hoe where vanilla is to 
be planted, and bury the end, laid horizontally, an 
inch or two in the earth. Quite as good a way ia 
merely to press the lower part of the plant into the 
soft soil until it is flush with the surface. On sloping 
land loosened soil washes away sooner with heavy 
rain, and in such Bituations it is better to leave the 
ground quite undisturbed. In any case the leaves on 
that part of the vine^which rests in or on the ground 
are out off fairly close to the stem, and an arm full 
of leaves, fern, grass, or forest sweepings laid on the 
top to the depth of 3 or 4 inches, for a couple of feet 
around the plant. Its roots will not need to be mulched 
for a greater distance than that for some months 
to come, and to cover a larger area would be useless 
As new top dressings are laid on, which must be 
done when the first supply rots down and becomes 
thin, these can be gradually extended to allow of 
more root spread, till the limit of 4 feet radius is 
reached, If well covered, the roots do not run much ; 
only starved vines run far with their roots, seeking 
nourishment ; where this is plentiful they mat in and 
beneath it. Being entirely surface feeders, should any 
make their way beyond the cover they can be gently 
lifted and tucked under the decaying leaves, etc, ; but 
this ia a hint that the plant needs a new supply of top 
dressing. The number of joints laid on or in the soil 
will vary with the lemgth of the plant, but should not 
be leas than three for this mode of planting, while 
for long cuttings six or seven joints are needed for a 
cinick atart. 
SUPPORT roR THE TOUNG PLANTS. 
If of sufficient length, the free end of the planted 
Yine is hung through a fork of the supporting tree, 
but it is also advisable to tie it in two or three 
places to the tree to hinder swinging and chafing. 
The material used for these ties here is a fibre called 
Vacoa* which rots in about a year, by which time 
the plants should have tendril like roots enough to 
iteady themselves. Whoa once properly planted the 
'Obtained from a species of screw pine, Pandaims 
Vtilit. 
cuttings will need little or no attention for some 
months, but whoa tho growth becomes vigoroue the 
shoots must be looked afters Such of them as have 
grown clear of their supports are hitched up and if long 
enough, hung through one of the forks. An occasional 
tie here may also be necessary, but in general, a 
leaf or two of the growing part can be hooked on to 
some other fixed part of the vine, and in a few days 
unless blown loose, the tendrils will have fastened 
to the leaf, and thus support the plant. Shoots must 
not be allowed to climb very high among branches 
of the supporting tree, especially if there be many 
and close together, or there will be breakages in 
getting them down. For this purpose, when they 
get beyond hand reach, a forked stick 6 or 7 feet 
long is useful. The fork is worked between the tree 
and climbing vine, and its tendrills in succession are 
broken by pushing and twistiiig the stick when they 
are within the fork. The last two or three tendrils 
are easily broken or leave the tree without breaking, 
and care should be taken when the vine ia nearly 
clear to oatch the stein of it high up, within the 
stick's fork ; it can then be lowered gently without 
fear of breaking. 
Some judgement is necessary in selecting the fork 
of the tree through which each shoot is to hang, a 
fork whose height fits in with a natural bend of the 
vine, if it has one, being chosen ; otherwise one whose 
height takes the vine between joints is best, since 
if bent at a joint the vine is apt to snap, especially 
so when in vigorous growth, being then full of sap 
and brittle. In good growing weather— i.e., warm, 
still, and moist— healthy, well-nourished vanilla vinee 
grow very rapidly, an inch per day being no nnoom- 
mon rate. 
PRSFAIIIN6 THE VINES TOR CBOPFIN*. 
If the plants Jiave done well they ehould be ready 
for such preparation in about eighteen months, 
more or less, according to the season. Formerly in 
in this colony they were allowed to grow on until & 
spell of dry weather set in prior to the nsual blos- 
soming time. The growing ends were then cut oS 
and all new shoots removed as they showed till 
flowers began to come or till the season for them 
was past. When the dry spell proved a long one, 
this seemed to answer pretty well; and, indeed, under 
these circumstances flowers would come in any case, 
whether growth was checked or not. But now it ie 
move usual to stop the growing ends some nine or 
ten months, in the first instance, before flowering 
time. In the majority of cases the terminal bud will 
push, and this new shoot should also be removed 
when 5 or 6 inches long not earlier, else the next to 
the last bud is apt to grow. 
After the second checking most vinei will shoot 
far enough back to allow of the shoots being left 
These grow on for the next year, and then stopped 
branches hang down with their lower ends a good 
foot or more from the ground, being generally from 
4 to 6 feet in length, according to the height of the 
, forks through which they are hung and the positions 
of the new shoots, though these generally spring just 
before the last hends of the checked branches, 
which are to be the cropping parts. The new growths 
behind these are supposed to drain them of their 
sap, and thus conduce to flowering. However 
that may_ be, these checked hanging branches, 
have certainly more tendency to flower than other 
parts of the vines. Flowers take some six weeks to 
develop from the moment they burst through the 
buds to their time of opening, but this period varies 
in length with the weather, continuous dryness re- 
tarding and moderate showers hastening their deve. 
lopment when once started. 
The growing branches of vines should now be 
checked again for the following year's crop. These 
will be less troublesome in putting out inconvenient 
shoots, as the plant's sap ia more apt to go inte 
flowering branches, when nourishment is now more 
needed, Could the whole work be performed in a few 
