80 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
[August 1, 1898. 
These boxes are fitted with lids closing oa the 
outside of the box. They are lined with wool care- 
fully arranged along the bottom and up the sides, 
and a little over the top of the sides. 
The vanilla pods are placed on end close 
enough to secure pressure without damage by rub- 
binii; a horizontal layer is placed on top of the-ie, 
the wolleu covering is folded over all aud the lid 
put on. 
The box3s thus arranged are put into the halves 
of wine barrels and hot water emptied iu to ths 
barrels up to the lid of the boxes, care bsing taken 
that no water gets into the boxes. In order to pre- 
vent tlie sudden cooling of the hot water, the barrel 
is covered with a piece of sacking. It is lef: thus 
covered during one night. 
2. Next morning the pods are withdrawn and 
exposed in the air for some time to dry ; then for 
two or three days they are kept under w jllen cover- 
ings in full sunlight. 
Vov this operation low woodan boxes are used, 
a single layer of pods briing placed in the bottom 
and covered with a woUen cloth. The boxes are 
placed in sunlight on trestles to prevent contact 
with the more or less moist earth. After this opera- 
tion the colouring of all the pods will b.^ uniform 
if the drying by hot water has been p:D;jerly done. 
Now is the moment to proceed to the drying operation. 
3. The old methods of preparation, drying iu the 
open air upon soi-.'ens in an airy situation, or in 
hot-air stoves, in which the heat is constantly renewed, 
result in a loss ot perfume and at the same time 
require a large amount of baud labour. These draw- 
backs are avoideil by drying in closed v<^33eU by 
means of chloride of calcium, CaCl'2. 
This operation is earned on in boxes ot galvanised 
iron with a hinged door and closing on an india- 
rubber edging t'l ensuro airtighmess. A drawing of 
the form and dimensions of the box as used by the 
Credit Foacier Colonial is given below;— 
Each box has eleven drawers or trays; the bottom 
and the sixth drawer are for the vessels cont lining 
chloride of calcium, the others are for holding the 
vanilla; in the former are placed IS kilos, of chloride 
of calciu>n, and in the latter -15 kilos, ot vanilla. 
The vanilla is laid upon wooden hurdle-shaped 
frames resting upon little brackets rivetted into tlie 
aides of the box. The tray can thus be drawn out 
in order to arrange the vanilla properly. Several 
layers are placed on each tray. 
The trays should not be made o£ resinous or 
strong-smelliag woods, as vanilla absorbs and retains 
odours it comes in contact with; the hurdling is 
made of split rattans. 
The vessels containing chloride of calcinm should 
be double bottomed, the inner one being perforated 
to allow ot the escape of the liquid chloride of 
calcium. Bach time tiie case is opened the chloride 
vessels should be looked to, aud the chloride renewed 
or added to as necessary. When the trays are 
filled with vanilla, and the chloride vessels are in 
their places, the door is closed and should fit per- 
fectly into the doorjamb. To bo quiet sure that the 
boxes are hermetically closed all rivets in the box 
should be soldered beforehand. 
Every two or three days the vanilla is carefully 
examined, and any pods showing moisture are taken 
out and put aside to be sunned and prepared by 
themselves in a special box, where they are all 
collected. 
In from 25 to 30 days the vanilla will have reached 
the required degree of dryness. Practice will show 
the exact moment when they should be with.lrawu. 
Vanilla insufiioiently dry wdl not keep and breeds 
small worms ; vanilla over-dried keeps well, but it 
is not supple, it is called ''broken" fbrisse) aud has 
less commercial value. 
4. After leaving the box. the vanilla is placed for 
several days ou small frames in a covered and well- 
ventilated, place then it is removed and shut up 
in tin boxes, each holding from 15 to '20 kilos, of 
vanilla. 
There it remains for several weeks, being examined 
every two or three days and any ehowiug traces of 
mildaw is carefully wiped. 
When it is thought that the vanilla has reached 
perfection (reudue a point) and its perfume well 
developed, the cleaning of the vanilla is taken in 
hand in order to remove the dust and the germs of 
mildew which may adhere to it. Vanilla which is 
not subjected to this process ia dull in colour and 
does not keep well, 
25 to 30 litres of water at about C0° Cent. (140° 
Pahr.) are emptied into a peri'ectly clean receptacle 
and 15 to 20 kilos, of vanilla are thrown into it 
and vigorously stirred up in the witer by hand. 
The pjds are withdrawn, lightly wiped and put to 
dry in the shade. In a few days when the pjda 
are dry, they are sorted and classed according to 
length and quality, and mide up in bundles. All 
these operations mast h^ conducted with the great- 
est care The bundles are placed in tin boxes 
with covers. Each box contains only vanilla of the 
saaie length and quility, aud holds from 4 to 5 kilos, 
each. 
VanilU should never be sent awiy immediately 
after dealing with it. It must be watched for at leaat 
a month to be quite sure that it will keep daring a 
sea V >yage. 
During the time it is being watched the boxes 
should be examined twic'^ a week, and every pod 
showing the least trace of moisture Bbould be with- 
drawn. 
Tlie mildewed pods are worked up by various 
processes and sold as quite inferior vanilla,— A'cio 
Jjulleliii. 
PLANTING NOTES. 
A Method of Ta.iPPi.NO Akts. — VVe read in one of 
Mr. Harmsworth's little magazines the other dnv of 
a ready means of catching ants. It is to take a 
large sponge and sprinkle it well with moist or 
pounded loaf sugar, and set in lha vicinity of the 
ant's nest. These little troublesome creitnres eat 
sugar with avidity, and soon swirm all over aud in 
the interstices of the spjnge. When this is noticed 
throw the sponge into boiling water aud let it re- 
miin for a few minutes. Then wash out the dead 
ants, sprinkle the sponge with sugar, and lay it as 
before. If this be preserved in for a few days 
every ant will be destroyed. — GarieneiV Chronicle. 
How TO Measure an Acre. — Farmers would often 
be glad to know the area of oddly-shaped fields 
without having recourse to a surveyor. The follDwing 
may prove of some use : — 
5 vards 
wide by 933 yards long contains one acre 
10 ' „ 
„ 484 ,. 
11 »• 
40 
121 „ 
70 
„ 69.V „ 
,< 11 II " 
80 ,, 
/I 11 60i „ 
II 11 I' " 
60 
„ „ 7-26 „ 
1, 11 11 *) 
110 „ 
„ 397 „ 
130 „ 
II i> 363 „ 
11 ji i> » 
220 ,, 
„ „ 18li „ 
,1 11 II >• 
410 „ 
,. „ 99 „ 
, 11 . 11 » 
II J. tl 11 11 , II 
— Journal of tlie Jamaica Aqricullnral Society. 
AsHANTi Produce. — Tha last-issued number of the 
Ke o Bulletin contains some particulars of th"* botany 
of Ashauci which Surgeon-Oaptain H. A. Cummins 
gathered during the lS9.'i expedition, who brought 
home with him 211 specimens, which ha?3 been 
classifiei at Kew. He mentions in his report amongst 
th3 plants cultivated in the country ar" p ipvws, castor 
oil and chillies, ginger plants grew eighteen inches 
high in three weeks ; palm oil and coconut oil 
can be produce 1 on a good scale ; kola-nuts are 
obtained and the plant is plantiful ; and there is 
plenty of rubber to be had. The report concludes 
with a list of the plants of which the surgeon 
brought specimens home, and one is almost inclined 
to hope from this that some good may corns ont 
of Ashanti jet. — Chemist «,nd Druggist, Jtily 9. 
