§24 
THE TROPICAL 
A.GRlCULTtJRIST. [June 2, 1902. 
and bottled fiuils preserved in thin syrup 
pay one shilling per cwt., the same preserved in 
thick syrup have to pay two shillings more, or 
three shillings per cwfe. Crystallised fruits are 
distinguished from others by a higher rate, namely 
4s 2d per cwt. Ginger preserved in syrup or 
sugar is charged three shillings per cwt., whil« 
preserved Tamarinds pay ouly one shilling. 
Flowers occur in the Customs taiilt in ona 
form only, and this not in a fresh or dried state, 
but in the condition oi sweetmeat, nauu ly, the 
crystallised Howers of the Violet, l-osc, Ornngf^, 
and which are cliargcd at the same rate as 
crystallised fruits, nansely, 4s 2d per cwt. 
If the Chancellor of the Excheqi.rr were i6» t'lke 
a walk through the several brokers' show-rooius 
iu Mincing Lane, he wo>ild, no doubt, become im- 
bued with new ideas of taxation ; at any rate 
a glance down the reports of the Lond*u market 
in" that busy corner of t lie great city is a lesson 
of much interest and great educational value, 
for it is chieily in these reports that we first 
find references to products upw to commerce- 
things that are sent into market at liist in small 
quantities to test their suitability as market- 
able articles, and their prospect of finding pur- 
chasers. Products of this kind of any real value 
seldom make their way with any flourish of 
trumpets, but become quietly established, the 
demand increasing as their properties become 
known, 
Tiie case, is, perhaps, rather different with 
regard to medicinal products. Any new discovery 
in this direction lias of late years been made 
the cause of many much a ! vertised quack medi- 
cines, though some of them have prove ! of value, 
and have found a place in the Pharmacopeia, 
such as Coca (Erythroxylon coca), and Cascara 
Sagrada (Rhamuus Purahiana), and others. In 
the Mincing Lane classification of products, it is 
sometimes ditliculb to find any r,|)ecial article; 
for instance, one unacquainted with the ways 
of product brokers would scarcely expect to 
find Chillies classed with spices, but in such 
company they are always placed, tliough the 
principal use of the Chillie is as a condiment, 
either for making cayenne pepper or for mixing 
with pickles. Very large qtian titles of these 
pungent fruits now come into Englisli commerce, 
andltis said that the increased demand is to some 
extent due to the use of much larger quantities 
than has hitherto been the case in the West of 
England pilchard preserving trade though there 
is also a fairly good demand for them in medicine. 
Tlie geographical range of commercial Chillies 
has of late years become much wider th.an for- 
merly, for, beside the regular source from India, 
we receive Chillies of good quality and very bright 
appearance from NyassalancI, Sierra L,eone, and 
Zanzibar ; and more recently from Japan. The 
botanical source of the African Chillies is attri- 
buted to Capsicum minimum, and though the 
general appearc.nce of the Japanese form is very 
ftimil.'ir, it if. usually somewhfit larger ■-■•lA has 
less ).nngency; and it has b«cp suggested lli:it it 
n)ay be a ^mall form of C, annnuni. The ni:-!rk<-6 
value of Chiliies v;iiicslrf)m 3Ss ]icr cwt for ouii- 
iiary niixeil Zanziliar to .'32s for good red Nyiissa- 
laiiil fmitH, but iheae prices are aff'ecird by the 
ebb and flow of sup))ly :uid demand. 
Speaking of sjiicPK, one would rathev expect to 
find Vanilla un'Icr tliis liend, but so important is 
tiiis valuable )iroduf-tin the Mincing Lane trade 
that it is not only placed under a f-.eparate head- 
ing in the market reports, but the samples 
themselves are always shown in a separate show- 
room, and indeed in a distinct building. 
The extension of the cultivation of Vanilla, not 
only in new plantations, but also in entirely new 
countries, is sufficient proof of its constant 
demand, and of its value as a profitable crop ; and 
this notwlthstnnding the continued manufacture 
and use of artificial vanilline. The following facts 
on the present eondi'ion of the trade in Vanilla 
are g athered from our well-informed contemporary, 
the Chemist and Druggist, who, in reporting on 
tha Vanilla sides at the end of last montii, says 
that the sujiply brought forward was tha heavies* 
on record and attracted a much larger attendance 
of buyers than usual. There was, iiowever, a 
good demand and practically the whole quantity 
olfeied, about 2,800 ton.s, was sohl. Long lengths, 
being scarce, brought good prices while medium 
lengths, also sold, were pods from S to inches 
long, and of good chocolate colour and fetched 22i 
6d per lb ; 7i to 8 inches, 19? 6d to 21s 6d ; and ^;o 
on in proportion, for it must be remembered tiiat 
Vanilla pods are classified in the market and valued 
according to their length, plumpness, and colour. 
Thus, at the same sale the lowest grade of dry, 
brown pods realised only from 4s to lis Gd per lb; 
Referring to the condition and prospects of 
Vanilla cultivation in the Seychelles, Messrs. 
Brookes & Green, the well known brokers, state 
that the Hcychelles crop for 19Q1, shipped from 
August to December, totalled fully double the 
heaviest quantity exporred from the island iu any 
previous season, it being esrimal'-d at abonS 80 
toiis. Tlie feature of this se?.son's supply of Vanilla 
from the Seychelles is the unprecedented large 
proportion of short b^ns. Medium to good size 
quality measure from 6 to 8 inches, but the con- 
signments lauded in London during the past ihree 
months have contained about 75 per cent of very 
short beans, ranging from 3 to 5 inches. The 
result has been that, whilst long-length quality 
has fairly maintained previ' us values, the short 
measurements si'.ow a reduction of about 50 per 
cent. To obtain good plump pods, it is incumbent 
for planters to fcee that early in the season the 
young shoots are thinned by picking out a quan- 
tity of surplus sprouts ; in the iiresent case it 
would seem as though nearly all had been al'owed 
to grow. Tliis view is somewhat confirmed by re- 
cent repurts fioni the Seychelles, which advise that 
the liov.'eiing for the next crop is small — possibly 
due to the weakening of the vines last year ; in- 
deed, some of the older p'ants are reported as 
setiously exhausted — a very natural lesult if the 
above surmise is true. 
The warning here given, though not expressed 
in gardening teims, will be understood by those 
wlto cultivate the plant for profit, and who will, 
no doubt, benefit by the hints. As an illustration of 
the quantity of Vanilla sometimes shipped in one 
consignment, it in^vy be stated that in November 
last one sliipnieiu fiora tiie Seychelles amounted 
to 21,267 kilo.-, of which 12,385 kilos went to 
Marseilles, avtd 8,881 kilos to London. The ex- 
|)orls from Tahiri during UiOO amounted to 
162,636 lb., of the value of £32,1:^2— no small 
sum to be added to the liiiances of the island. 
Chillies and Va;;illo, to which we have re- 
ferred, are only two items in the immense returns 
lint fiow into and are distributed from the great 
city markets included under the generic name of 
Mincing Lane. At another time I hope to refer 
