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lengths in orderly arrangement with the most common sizes nearest 
the operator. 
In bundling, the straightest pods should first be put aside. Sev- 
eral of these are needed for the core and others for the outside of the 
bundle, as a wrapper of straight pods gives a much neater appearance. 
The curving stem ends should be turned in as much as possible. When 
the final pod has been placed a few turns of cord Or raffia will tem- 
porarily hold the beans in place until the bundle can be tied perma- 
nently near the two ends. 
As sizing, polishing, and bundling the beans must all be done by 
hand, it would perhaps prove rather costly if the work were paid for 
by the day. Amateurs were timed for the different operations and 
it was found that about 10 beans were sized in a minute or 9 beans 
polished, and that a neat bundle of 50 beans was easily done up in 
15 minutes or less. Practiced hands should of course greatly reduce 
the time required for these operations, and they should not prove 
too expensive if paid by the job at so much per pound or bundle. 
Neatly bundled beans make a much better appearance, require fewer 
containers, occupy less space in shipping, and are more easily handled 
than the loose beans, but bundling entails a considerable amount of 
extra labor. As vanilla beans of high grade are sold on the New 
York market both bundled and in bulk, the preference of the buyers 
must determine which method shall be followed by Porto Rican 
vanilla growers. It is reported from New York that the tendency 
is to sell beans in bulk and not to bundle them. 
Vanilla is generally shipped in closed tins which are packed in 
wooden cases. Vanilla has a solvent action on several metals, in- 
cluding tin, but this action is much slower on tin than on a number 
of the others. On account of this solvent action the beans should 
be protected from contact with metal by fining the containers with 
paraffined paper or coating the inside of the container with paraffin. 
SUMMARY. 
In spite of conditions admirably adapted for the production of 
vanilla, this crop has never been grown commercially in Porto Rico. 
While the price of vanilla is not what it formerly was, the con- 
sumption has increased greatly. 
An import duty into the United States of 30 cents a pound means 
an advantage of exactly that amount for vanilla grown in Porto 
Rico. 
Extract made from beans grown locally has been pronounced of 
excellent quality. From the reports of dealers to whom beans have 
been sold or samples submitted, this vanilla is worth from $2 to $4 
a pound under the market conditions of the last two or three seasons. 
