302 
THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST, 
jNov.  I,  1895. 
of  a plane,  very  similar  in  shape  to  an  English 
earpenter's  plane.  The  strips  of  tobacco  are  stood 
up  on  end  on  the  ground,  and  kept  in  position  by 
hoards  made  for  the  purpjse.  As  tlie  strips  are  only 
about  l.V  fo  it  high,  tlie  men  have  to  work  the  plane 
in  a half-stooping  position,  a most  uncomfortable 
way  of  working  from  an  Euglishinan's  point  of  view. 
^However,  the  Chinese  do  not  appear  to  mind  ic,  as 
theyswork  away  coments^Ry  from- morning  tonight. 
The  shavings  of  .the  tobacco  leaves  are  tue  tobacco 
ready-  for  smoking.  Every  man  puts  his  shavings, 
as  he  takes  them  from  Kie  plane,  into  sniaW  heaps, 
weighing  about  a pound  each,  enclosing  at  the  same 
time  a ticket  with  the  name  of  the  firm  on  it  in 
the  centre  of  eaqli  heap.  These  small  heaps  are 
then  put  into  panders,  the  two  ends  of  the  papers 
being  left  open.  The  packets  are  thtn  Weighed,  and 
a tittle  more  tobacco  is  added  or  taken  away  ac- 
cording to  whether  the  packet  is  too  light  or  too 
heavy.  When  the  packets  aio  of  the  proper  weight 
they  are  put  into  another  paper,  both  cuds  closed 
up,  and  then  packed  in  boxes  ready  Ho  be  sent  a«aj. 
Th6l'0  is  a good  deal  of  order  in  ilie  Way  in  wmich 
the  factory  is  worked.  Women  i#.e  only  omplo'ied 
in  stripping  off  the  leaves  fimn  the  staiks,  men  do 
all  tfce  rest  of  the  work.  There  is  one  lo'.  for  damp- 
ing and  pressin,:^  the  leaves,  and  auotfier  batch  Ar 
cutting  the  pressed  cakes  into  strii  s and  tying  them 
mp  ready  for  planing.  The  pJaners ' OM.'y  make  the 
tobacco  and  put  it  into  heaps,  a separate  lot  of  rnen 
pit  it  into  the  first  papers  ready  for  weighing,  lire 
’11X611  wlio  woigb  tlxG  tobacco  pass  it  011  to  otlxcrsj 
who  put  it  into  the  second  paper,  and  these  fiualy 
hand  it  to  the  packers.  'I  he  tobacco  is  of  a dark 
hrown  colour,  and  is  only,  used,  so  far  as  I know, 
by  th,e  Chinese.  It  has  the  reputation  amongfct  them 
of  being  a particularly  good  brand,  and  the  tactory 
Is  said  to  be  one  of  the  largest  in  rioutb  China.  It 
was  very  amusing  to  see  the  workers  at  T2  o’clock, 
Ks  this  is  the  time  they  take  their  mid-day  meal. 
As  soop  as  the  clock-  struck  twelve,  everything  stopped 
as  if  by  machinery.  In  less  than  five  minutes  tubles 
were  produced  from  unlooked-for  ccpners,  basins  of 
rice  and  other  foods  were  placed  upon  them,  and 
the  men  were  busily  engaged  in  emptying  them  by 
the  aid  of  chopsticks.  All  the  workmen  took  this 
meal  in  the  same  place  as  they  liad  previously 
been  working  in. — W.  T.  TIi'I’cher,  liotanic  Clarden, 
Hong  Ko  g. — Gardeners’  Chronicle. 
VANILLAS 
COMMERCE. 
The  following  historical  and  descriptive  aiccount 
of  the  species  yialdiug  aromatic  fru  ts,  more  or  less 
used  in  commerce,  has  been  prepared  by  Mr. 
B.  A.  Ilolfe,  A.L.S.,  Assistant  in  the  Kew  Herrarium. 
Eroni  historical  accounts  we  learn  that  vari-ill-i 
was  used  by  the  Aztecs  of  Mexico  as  an  ingredient 
in  the  manufacture  of  chocolate  prior  to  tine  discovery 
of  Amerkia  by  the  Spaniards,  who  adopted  its  use, 
and  Morren  states  that  it  was  brought  to  Europe 
as  a perfume  about  the  year  1510  at  the  istme  time 
as  iud%o,  cochineal,  ai  d cacao,  and  ten  years 
before  Hie  arrival  of  tobacco.  , 
The  earliest  botanical  notice  of  the  vanilla  is  by 
Clusius  in  his  l^xoticorum  Libri  Decern,  pnb’ished  in 
(il05  'This  author  had  received  fruits  from  Morgan, 
apothecary  to  Queen  Elizabeth  in  1602,  which  he 
deecribed  as  “ Lobus  oblongus  aromaticus  (p.  72), 
without  being  aware  of  their  native  country  or  use. 
He  describes  them  as  6 to  8 inches  long  by  half 
an  inch  broad,  and  terete  from  vh.ch  it  is  evident 
that  they  belonged  to  the  true  Mexican  1 aniUa 
^ lu^S^ ‘figure  was  given  by  Hernandez  in  his 
Nova  Flantarum  Mexicanorwn  Ihstoria  {p.  38),  under 
the  name  of  Araco  which  shows  bo  h he 
characteristic  gtowlh  and  fruits  of  the  plant  ho 
flowers  not  being  represented.  I h-s  original  of  this 
figure  was  one  of  a series  ot  1200  executed  at  creat 
.n-t  in  Mexico,  by  order  of  tlio  King  of  Sjiain, 
the  pfovions  ctmtnry.  Hernandez  only  men- 
lioi'rt  its  lisa  as  a drug  aiid  gives  its  native  name 
TlilxoehHl.  ” 
Piso  in  his  Mantissa  Aromalica,  published  in  1658, 
appears  to  have  first  put  the  name  Vaynil'a  on 
record,  and  also  its  use  ai  au  ingredient  in  the 
manufacture  of  chocolate  (pp.  200,  201).  He  describes 
it  as  the  fragrant  siliqua  or  fiod  of  the  Araco  aro- 
matico  of  Hernandtz,  and  that  it  was  called  Vaynilla 
by  the  Spaniards,  who  added  it  -fo  chocolate,  not 
only  on  account  of  its  fragrance  but  because  of  its 
medicinal  virtues.  The  name  is  the  di-uinutive  of 
the  Spanish  roina,  a pod  or  capsule. 
Ill  1675  Redi  figured  the  pod  and  seeds,  the  latter 
as  seen  under  the  microscope  ( C.rpcrinieHta,  p.  179). 
He  called  it  Vainiglias. 
Dampier  next  furnished  some  important  informa- 
tion about  the  plant.  Speaking  of  the  coast  of  the 
Bay  of  Gampeachy.  South  Mexico,  under  date  1676, 
ho  reuiaik-^: — ‘-Here  are  great  plenty  of  Vinellos," 
( I oija(/cs,  II.,  pt.  2-,  p.  123).  And  at  Boca-tero,  iu 
Costa  Rica,  which  he  visited  in  1681,  he  observed : — 
There  grow  on  this  coast  YintToes  in  great  quan- 
tity, with  much  Chocolate  is  perfumed”  (1.,  p.  38). 
At  a place  called  C.vibooca  iu  the  former  locality, 
Dampier  remarks:— “We  found  a small  Indian 
village,  and  in  it  a great  nuauticy  of  Vinello’s  dry- 
ing in  the  sun.  Tbe  Yinello  i.s  a little  Cod  full  of 
small  black  se<  ds ; it  is  4 or  5 inches  long,  about 
the  bigness  of  the  stem  of  a Tobacco  leaf,  and 
when  dried  much  resembling  it : so  that  our  Pri- 
vateers at  first  have  ofien  thrown  them  away  when 
they  took  any,  wondering  why  the  Spaniards  should 
lay  up  Tobacco  stems.  This  Cod  grows  on  a small 
Vine,  which  climbs  about  and  supports  itself  by  the 
neighbouring  trees  : it  first  bears  a yellow  Flower, 
from  whence  the  Cod  afterwards  proceeds.  It  is 
first  green,  but  \iheiiripe  it  turns  yellow;  then  the 
Indians  (whose  manufacture  it  is,  and  who  sell  it 
cheap  to  the  Spaniards)  gather  it,  and  lay  it  in  the 
sun,  which  makes  it  soft;  then  it  changes  to  a 
Chestnut  colour.  Then  they  frequently  press  it 
between  their  fingers,  which  makes  it  flat.  If  the 
Indians  do  anything  to  them  beside,  I kn  w not, 
but  I ha' e seen  the  Spaniards  sleek  them  with  Oyl” 
(I.,  p.  231).  He  further  remarks  that  tbe  Vines  grow 
plentifully  at‘  Bocca-toro,  where  ha  had  gathered  aud 
tried  to  cure  them  but  without  success,  and  that 
he  had  never  met  with  a Spaniard  who  could  tell 
him,  w ich  led  him  to  think  that  the  Indians  had 
some  secret.  “ Could  we  have  learnt  the  art  of  it, 
several  of  us  would  have  gone  to  Bocca-toro  yearly, 
at  tbe  dry  season  and  cured  them,  and  freighted 
our  vessel.  AVe  there  might  have  had  Turtle  enough 
for  food  and  store  of  Viuello’s They  are  com- 
monly sold  for  3 ponce  a Cod  among  the  Spaniards 
in  the  West  Indies,  and  are  sold  by  the  Druggist, 
for  they  aro  much  used  among  Chocolate  to  perfume 
it.  Some  will  use  them  among  Tobacco,  for  it  gives 
it  a delicate  seen',  i never  heard  of  any  Viui-llo’s 
but  here  in  this  Country,  about  Caibooca  and  at 
Bocca-toro  ” (I.,  p.  235). 
The  preceding  accounts  all  clearly  refer  to  tbe  true 
Mexican  Vanilla  ( I',  idanifoliaj,  but  in  1796  both 
Plukenet  and  Sloane  introduce  confusion  into  the 
records.  The  former  includes  the  above  under  his 
“Vanillia’s  Piperis  arbori  Jamaicensis  innasceus” 
( Alinatjest.  Dot.,  p.  381),  though  figuring  the  true 
plant  (t.  320,  fig.  4).  The  latter,  while  retaining 
Clusius’  original  naaie,  andi  citing  the  above  refer- 
ences, records  it  as  growing  spontaneously  in  the 
woods  of  Jamaica  about  Aqua-alta  ( Cat.  PI.  Ins. 
Jam.,  p.  70).  Iu  his  Natural  Ilistonj  of  .htmaica, 
published  in  1707,  he  further  ob.serves; — “It  is  said 
by  several  that  they  grow  in  this  island  about  Aqua- 
alta,  and  that  before  the  felling  of  timber  and 
clearing  ground,  they  were  co  niuoii  in  the  shady 
bottoins  of  the  inland  parts  of  this  island.”  (I., 
p.  180).  so  that  it  was  evidently  iiichwled  on  hearsay 
evidence,  and  probably  the  indigenous  inodora 
(V.  anaromatica,  Griseb, ) was  mistaken  for  1'.  plani- 
folia. 
The  Mexican  Vanilla  w.is.  as  already  ebservo  h 
intioduced  to  England  veiy  oaily  in  the  sevon'.eeiitii 
century.  The  second  volume  of  Miller’s  Gardeners' 
Jtictionari/  appoare  i in  1739.  There  the  author 
reinarkid  that  be  had  some  branches  of  the  plant, 
ghitliered  by  Mr.  Robert  Millar  at  Canipoacby,;  ami 
