March 2, 1903.] THE TROPICAL AGBICULTUEIST. 
595 
wrapped singly in a pavaffiae paper, packed tightly 
ia tius holding abont eighty-five pounds each. These 
are soldered, air-tight and then crated, usually two in 
a orate. Good Vanilla packed in this way will keep 
for years. The advantage gf wrapping each bundle in 
wax paper is that in case a bad bean has been packed 
and becomes mouldy the mould does not extend 
beyond its particular bundle. 
NOTES. 
Diseases. — Yanilla is subject to several diseasesj one 
of which attacks the partially grown bean, causing 
it to rot and fall off before maturity and another 
attacks the lower part of the vine, causing it to wither 
and dry up, while the upper Ipart continues growing 
although in a partially withered condition until it 
can send down air-roots when these reach the ground 
the plant revives. Any beans which were on it at 
the time however are a loss. I know of no remedy for 
either, except replanting. The disease which attacks 
the bean appears to be worst in cainy weather, and 
in dense shade. 
I think that most of our Vanilla is grown in too deep 
shade. If the ground is kept shaded and cool by a 
covering of leaves, rubbish or weeds, the vine itself 
will stand a very considerable amount of sun. Beans 
grown in the shade are usually longer than those 
grown in the sun but tbey do not carry their thickness 
to the stem end as do the others, and therefore require 
more care in cuiing, as the thin end is very liable to 
burn. In the blooming season I find it advisable to 
start fertilising the flowers in a different part of the 
plantation each day. I think that the flowers ferti- 
lised in the morning give the best beans, a shower may 
come up and stop the work when it is only partly 
finished, or a very heavy bloom may necessitate 
some flowers being left ^unfertilised. Hence beginning 
in different places is likely to make the crop more 
uniform than if work was begun in the same place 
every day. A species of slug has been found eating a 
few of the flowers, but does but little damage. Our 
worst enemy is a lovely little green dove which eata 
the buds before they expand. These are natives of 
Tahiti, and have learned that Vanilla flowers are 
edible, by some chance, and the knowledge is evidently 
inherited. The gun is the only remedy. I have seen 
it stated that the beans have to be dipped in hot water 
to destroy insects and their eggs and afterwards kept 
covered with gauze to keep insects from them. I have 
not found this correct. The reason for dipping in hot 
water, I have already mentioned, namely, to harden 
the skin, keep the bean from splitting, and hasten its 
drying. 1 know of no insect which attacks the drying 
or the dry bean. This statement, however, does not 
apply to the poision of the Vanilla bean, and which 
some claim is due to a mite living upon the dry Vanilla 
As to the existence of the poison, I can vouch. As 
to tlie cause, I am in doubt ; but I incline to think 
that the poison is a vegetable one, and is inherent to 
the bean. The sap of the vine is in itself acrid or 
poisonous, although it is not always noticed. On rainy 
days or when cutting the vines, either in pruning or 
making cuttings, it makes itself felt by an irritation 
and itching of the skin of those parts most exposed to 
it, the hands and face especially. This, however, does 
not last for any length of time after quitting work. 
The other poison, that of the beau, is different in 
in its action, and differs also in its action upon dif- 
ferent persons. Some few are exempt. On others, 
myself for one, after constantly handling the drying 
and dry bean very small watery pustules make their 
appearance, usually between the fingers and upon the 
back of the hand. These itch incessantly. In the 
worst cases, sores break out upon the bead, body and 
limbs, and the itching is intolerable. Lately a remedy 
has been discovered, and having tried it upon a 
numbar ot fellow sufferers effecting a cure in every 
case, it may be held to be a specific. As a boy I used 
to be poisoued regularly every spriug by the poison ivy 
or oak {Rhus toxicodendron), and it appeared to me from 
the similarity of the symptoms that the remedy used 
for that, might have an effect upon the Vanilla poison. 
The lotion is made as follows. Mix equal parts of cav- 
bolic acid, glycerine and rose-water, aod rub upon the 
parts affected. The effect is instantaneous, and it at 
once allays the itching, and in a short time effects a 
cure. As a preventive, when handling much Vanilla, 
workers may use Calvert's 20 per cent, carbolic soap 
for cleaning hands and face, and if this practice is 
followed, they will seldom be troubled with a renewal 
of the affection. It is a matter of tradition here that 
a kanaka, inserted a four inch wire nail in many of his 
dry beans, thus selling nails at the price of Vanilla and 
profiting much thereby. This ia a most reprehensible 
proceeding, and one which cannot be recommended. It 
is, however, recommended to use great caie in not 
getting the beans too dry. Get them just dry enough 
not to spoil when packed. Every pound of moisture 
which the beans lose after that point is reached is just 
so much clear loss to the grower. It is recommended 
by some to rub oil over the beans when they are dry. 
The only oil which should be used is that which can 
be got from split and damaged beans. By rubbing 
these with a woolen rag in a short time that will 
become saturated. The good beans can then be rubbed 
with this and the few occasional drops which come from 
some of the beans will keep the rag sufficiently oiled, 
In beans cured in the sun the skin is always oily- 
Beans cured by the use of hot water or the oven only 
need the oiling. For first class beans it is worth 
while resorting to what the French call " dressing.' 
That is when nearly dry drawing the beans through 
the fingers, thus straightening them and distributing 
the seeds and oily matter evenly throught the length 
of the beans. For the cheaper grades it takes too 
much labour. Throughout this article I have refer- 
red to the fruit of the Vanilla plant as the " beau.'' 
This I know is incorrect, but as they are invariably so 
called, it has been considered best to conform to 
custom. As regards the cost of making and keeping 
up a plantation it is not worth while going into 
figures, conditions being so different in different 
countries. I may state that in four years from the 
time of planting on a leased plantation in Tahiti 
the returns showed on the right side of the balance 
sheet. The yield per acre is of course variable, depend- 
ing upon the number of plants grown their age, &c. 
A plantation will give two hundred pounds of cured 
beans is a good one, although two hundred and fifty 
pounds can be grown. After the plantation is made 
there is work enough on five acres to keep two men 
constantly employed, besides which extra labour is 
required during the flowering season, and also for 
drying the beans. I recommend planting both T'. 
planifolia and T. pompona in places where labour is 
limited or hard to get as by so doing, the two varieties 
flowering at different times, double the area can be 
handled with the same amount of labour during the 
flowering seasons. By keeping a record of the number 
of flowers fertilised the planters can tell very nearly 
what weight of beans to expect, when the bean matures. 
I estimate that each thousand flowers fertilised ought 
to productfive pounds of cured beans. This allows 25 per 
cent for loss, and I have found this fairly correct. 
Ordinary beans weigh on the average one pound for 
each packet of one hundred and fifty beans. 
Green beans run at about forty to the pound, and 
the loss of weight in drying is about seventy-five per 
cent. 
[Note by editor.— It is not quite clear whether the 
Vunilln povipona spoken of by Mr. Mc Farlaue is the 
same as that so known in the West Indies, and wanting 
an accurate Botanical description it is difficult to ascer- 
tain whether it is so or not. It is quite correct, how- 
ever, as regards the splitting. Our V. pom/yona does 
not split, but it appears to be a larger plan, and 
produces a larger beau (triangular in shape) than thg 
one be describes.— rruiiifiKi Bullctin/or August.} 
