August 1, 1898.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 79 
film then flakes off. . . . The price we could pay 
for the dry juice would be about 53. to 7s. 6d. per 
, ; . . We understand that the juice is taken 
from all parts of the plant, principally f torn the siem 
or trunk of the tree; if you take it from the fruit 
you will have to be careful to make your incissions 
in the latter just before the fruit is ripe. You need 
only make scratches as the juice i.= found between 
the skin and the pulp. None is obtainable from the 
fruit proper. We hardly thmk it worth your while 
to take any trouble with this part of the plant. 
Out of many fruits you will only be able to obtain 
but a few ounces, whereas, from the trunk of the 
tree and other parts of the plant, you can obtain 
several pounds " 
I regret having as yet been unable to make any 
experiments with papayi juice. The report from 
Messrs. Christy is sufiicieat encouragement to do 
BO, especially as the tree grows here most freely, 
though entirely neglected,— Z'itnga Zamdhar. 
A SEYCHELLES PLANTER ON THE PEGS- 
PECTS OF VANILLA IN ZANZIBAR. 
(h) We lately had an opportunity of discussing the 
prospects of Vanilla hire with a Planter from Sey- 
chelles who has 25 acres under cultivation, and has 
been successfully engaged in this industry alone for 
13 years. In Seychelles Vanilla grows very much as 
castor oil and cassava grow here, that is to say 
almost wild. The soil where the cultivation is carried 
on is gravelly, which allows of a most perfect 
natural drainage. Sticky soils and stagnant water 
are most harmful. Our sandy soils, especially on the 
hill sides, should be equally good, probably the coral 
country as well ; while the low flats and swamps 
where the water accumulates during the rains 
should be avoided. The hill tops would be pro- 
bably too dry. It is in the rainfall where we 
are deficient. In Seychelles they Liave 100 inches 
as against our 60 inches. Our rainfall, though fall- 
ing short in quantity-, is fairly well distributed as 
a rule, and it is always possible to supplement by 
watering. Hut watering, besides being expensive, 
is at best but an imperfect substitute for rain. 
In this respect therefore, Seychelles has an advan- 
tage over us wbich we can never hope to overcome. 
Bad years sometimes occur in Seychelles through 
failure of the dry season. They count upon 9 wet 
and 3 dry months, but if, as it sometimes happens, 
rain continues to fall daripg the three usually dry 
mouths the Vanilla will continue to grow, and there 
■will be no period of rest to enable it to produce 
flowers and seed pods. They have a way of inducing 
the vine to ihrow out buds by nipping back the 
pendulous growing end, when the sap of the pen- 
dulous end will be partly absorbed by renewed 
growth lower down, and flowers will appear upon 
it. But this does not make up for nature's short- 
comings. We can always rely upon a dry time about 
the months of September and October which is in 
our favour though it does not make up for our de- 
ficiency in rainfall which is a permanent and pere- 
nial limitation. It was our visitor's opinion that 
Seychelles has a more forcing climate, and is thus 
better adapted to the growth of Vanilla, than 
Zanzibar, though this by no means implies that it 
would not thrive here. We are in all respects better 
- off than Bagamoyo where the industry has taken 
firm root and flourishes. 
We received some useful impressions as to the 
methods of the Seychelles Planters. They prefer to 
plant cuttings 6 or 12 feet in length if they can 
get them ; in fact they cannot be too long. A short 
cutting of 3 feet may take a year longer to crop 
than one o£ 0 feet, Vines are never in any case 
allowed to crop the fiist year, as this wenkeus them. 
Roots of Vanilla seek the surface. For this reason 
it must not be planted more than an inch deep, a 
mere Kcralch being made in the soil to receive it. 
If planted too deeply tLe roots may not have suffi- 
cieut strength to reach the top and the cutting will 
then rot at the bottom. These superficial roots are 
very liable to be scorched by the sun and must 
therefore be kept well covered with grass or leaves 
to the depth of about 6 inches. This -will also 
prevent the soil from becoming too dry ; but on the 
other hand if the io\\ is kept in too soppy a con- 
dition rot will set in, especially with young cuttings. 
Hsnce the necessity of constant attention. 
Hitherto it has been thought that Vanilla is 
subject to but one disease, but IVlr. (we 
regret not bsiug permitted to publish his name), 
who has madi- a special study of the subject, de- 
clared that his investigations have led him to detect 
many different diseases of a fungoid nature. The 
roots are the chief point of attack, wh?nce disease 
may spread to other parts of the plant. Next to 
the roots the growii g tips and pods are the most 
vulnerable. Roots begin to rot, and leaves to bleach 
and wither. To as far as possible check the spread of 
di-ease, creepers should be planted at least 9 feet 
apart and all diseased plants uprooted and burnt as 
soon as the effects of the fungus are visible. As a 
safe precaution cut off and remove from the planta- 
tion all withered leaves and unhealthy parts — ShoMiia. 
NEW METHOD OF DRYING 
VANILLA PODS. 
In the Kem Bulletin fl898,p. 224) a note appeared 
giving a brief account of a me thod of drying vanilla 
pods by means of chloride of lime in course of trial 
at the French island of Reunion. Fuller particulars 
are now to hand in a report irom Her Majesty's 
Consul, addressed to the Marquess of Salisbury (F. 
O. No. 1965, Annual Series. IH'-il) :— 
Explanatory Xotes as to the Dniinrj of Vanilla ly 
Chloride of Calcium. 
The object aimed at in the treatment of vanilla, 
is to endow it with keeping properties, and at the 
same time to develop the perfume which has not 
yet come into being at the moment of cropping. 
Pods of the best quality should be perfectly smoo:]i, 
and without excrescences or holes. 'jLhe longer the 
pods, and the more perfumed they are, without acidity, 
the more valuable is the vanilla. 
The success of the treatment of vanilla depends 
upon the care bestowed upon it, and especially upon 
the state of maturity of the pods. 
If the vanilla is picked too green, its treatment 
will be difficult and its keeping qualities doubtful, 
the pods will be thin and poor after drying, whilst 
the perfume will not be properly brought out, and 
what there is will be lacking in quality. 
If plucked when too ripe, the treatment will be 
easy, it will be of good size and highly perfumed, 
but it will split and thus lose much of its com- 
mercial value. 
On a well-ventilated and properly exposed plantation 
the pods are ripe when the lower part begins to 
turn yellowish. 
The treatment by chloride of calcium, CaC12, as 
indeed do all the other methods of treatment, con- 
sists of several operations ; — 
1. Stoppage of Vegetation. 
2. First drying and colouring. 
3. Drying. 
4. Watching, 
1. The process of drying in a stove by means of 
hot water is the one resorted to. On the day of the 
cropping, or the next day at latest, the pods are 
put to dry by heat in tin cases of the followincr 
demeusions ; — 0'220 millimetres by 0-220 metres by 
0'350 metres. Old petroleum oil tins are generally 
used for the purpose. The size may be ' slightly 
altered, but the width and breadth of the box should 
not be too large, as the vanilla in the centre 
shoitld be subjected to the same heat as that which 
is ne.arest to the sides of the box. Otherwise the 
treatment of the pods in the centre would not be 
assimilated to that of those at the sides, and the 
resultant colouring would be lightly different. 
