598 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [March 1. 1899. 
of the plant in its wild state. Its history in a 
state of nature U an follows : — It inhaliits the 
richest form of forest iaiiil, always completely 
protected from salt fea breezes, the crevices on 
a rocky hillside being one of its favorite haunts. 
It is of terrestrial growth, quickly climbing borne 
adjacent tree trunk. Althoug it commonly makes 
a few turns around the trunk, its chief support 
is derived from the numerous roots wliich it alljxes 
to the trunk. It ascends to the height of many 
yards, and then spreads out to a considerable 
distance over fuch horizontal supports as it may 
encounter. The presence of these lixalion roots 
and the fact that it survives for a considerable 
period after its earth connection has been severed 
have suggested the idea that it is parastic or 
epiphytic, or both. It is not clear just what are 
the relative degrees of importance of its ai-rial 
and terrestrial nutrition, Init it is i)relty clearly 
established, especially by the observations of Mr. 
Charles E. Hires, of Philadelpliia, that it cannot 
long survive after its eaith-conueclion is severed, 
unless it is able, as is usually tiic case, to drop 
down secondary aerial roots, and by this means 
to establish again a terrestrial support. At the 
same time we are not entirely without testimony 
to the continued existence of ]>lants after the 
decay of their basal portions, and with no other 
attacdiment than to the supporlii.g tree. Like 
most plants of its class, it is fleshy and succulent, 
and well able to resist accidents of this kind. 
Its branches readily take root if brought into 
contact with the soil and this habit is taken 
advantage of in itsartiheial propagations by cutings. 
Its stem is as thick as the finger, and its leaves 
are large, oblong, thick and lli-shy and very 
numerous upon the lunizontal branches, which 
are exposed to the light and air. It is tliese ex- 
posed leafy branches, the growth of that j'car, 
which constitute the sole flower and fruit-prod \icing 
portion. There appears to be a very narrowly 
limited adndxture of light and shade which affords 
the most favcu'able conditions for flowering, 
pollination and jierfection of the fruit. A lesser 
proportion of shade will often make the plant 
thrive better, but will afl'cct adversely its pro- 
duction of fruit. Too nnieli shade, on the other 
hand, will often result in subjecting the plant 
itself to destructive fungus disease. 
The flowers are born in axillary racemes of 
some 15 to 20, and they are of a pale greenish 
white or cream-color and jdeasantlj' fragrant. 
Nature has taken special care that the flowers 
shall noj be self-pollinated, as she has interposed, 
a well-developed blade of tissue, the labellum, 
bstween the pollen and the stigma, preventing 
all natural contact between them, and causing 
them to depend for their iiolliiiation upon the 
visits of insects, this mode invariably resulting 
iu cross-pollination. This fact lenders it quite 
certain that the constant introduction of new 
vital elements from other plants is necessary for 
the well being of the species and leads to the 
inference that it is only a question of time when 
the habit of propagating exclusively by cuttings 
will result in serious vital deterioration, as has 
resulted with the sugar-cane, and necessitate the 
renewal of the stock from carefully produced 
seedlings. It has been ascertained that, due either 
to a scarcity of the necessary insects or from 
t'.ie action of some obscure law, only about one 
on an average, of the 40 flowers ordinarily 
produced upon a branch of one or two feet iu 
lenifth, will become pollinated, bub that, if 
artificially pollinated, nearly all of these may 
be made lo yield fruits, allliough such a prolific 
yield as this would be very had for the 
crop and for the plants. Sometimes a doaen 
or more fruits will mature upon a single raceiue. 
They will then vary greatly in leiigi li— from 5 
to 10 inches— and from J to J inch in <Ujiii,eter. 
Taken as they run, ihey will weigh (rom 25 to 
35 to the pound in the' fresh condition. After 
curing, their diameter will be reduced by iiearlj 
i and their weight by about }. 
The oright, green fruit, commonly called a bean, 
is structurally triquetrous, but two of the i?ide« 
arc so far rounded as to iiinkc it appear nearly 
terete, witii one Hat side. 'J he top i> contracted 
and then again sliglilly expanded into a litrle 
disk. Its growth ceases many weeks before its 
maturity. W lien ripe, it turns first yeliowii-ji, 
then brownish, and ii left upon llie plant, will 
fpjit into three jiar'.s, and a thick fragrant'viscid 
juice will be exuded. It is jusi before they begin 
to turn brown that the fruiis irlmula be gailiered. 
If left longer, they will u-ually split in the drying 
process, thus seriously afi'ecting the value of the 
crop. At this time the cliaracteristic odor is not 
vet developed. It will develop the fruit is left 
ujion the plant, though to a less degree lliaa 
when artificially cured. 
The origin of the use of the vanilla bean, 
"Bainillo" as it is called throughout tro(icai 
America, and, for aught that we know forceruinty, 
its cultivation, is lost in antifjiiity. It was found 
in use by the native Mexicans when th" country 
was discovered. They used it for mixing with 
and flavoring their chocolate, an<l it wm for this 
that it was introduced abioa<l. It whs only after 
a long time that it begati to be used for flavoring 
other substances, and only within quite recent 
times that its present broad field ot utility has 
been developed. 
In citing the chief facts in regard to the cul- 
tivation of vanilla, refeience is made, unless 
otherwise staled, to the imliistry as it exists in 
Mexcio, where the conditions are the natural onei 
of the original home of the plant. The large 
number of commercial grades depends in ])art only 
upon (lifTerences in the characteristics of the dif- 
ferent beans, as determined by the sorting process. 
A niore important ditfeience is caused by the 
varieties of the vine which produces them. These 
are five in number, known respectively as "vanilla 
coriente," meaning regular or current vanilla; 
" V. sylve?tris." meaning wild ranilla; " V. 
mestiza," meaning medium vanilla; " V. puercai 
meaning hog vanilla, and " Tanillon,"* meaning 
big ranilla. It will be observed tlia*; these namss 
bear no botanical signihcance, being only native 
names used to characterize the quality or con- 
dition of the plant, and thus of its product. 
All except the last apparently proceed from varieties 
or states of the V. planitolia. The exception, 
vanillon, is the |)roduct of V. pompona, a distinct 
native species. This bean is much shorter, twice 
as thick, looks like a banana and has a pleasant, 
fruity flavor, on account of which it is eaten! 
It does not often get to the market. It thus 
appears that the vanilla fruit is edible by men 
and is presumably to be regarded as a food-fruit 
for animals, a eonsidtration which has an im- 
portant bearing upon any inquiries which we may 
institute as to the vegetable physiology of the 
fragrant principle, which can hardly be° regarded 
* The term "vanillon,^" as it is used commerciallr 
in this market, refers to a different article, a prodact 
of Bourbon. *^ 
