Instead of selling this crop it was divided into small samples which 
were sent to prominent American wholesale houses handling vanilla 
beans and to extract manufacturers for examination. Extracts from 
their reports follow: 
These vanillas have a very nice aroma, resembling somewhat the vanilla beans 
known as South American, but originating in the island Guadeloupe * * * an 
excellent appearance, and were of fine flavor. An extract made according to the 
requirements of the National Formulary IV was examined at our research labora- 
tory * * * and the analysis showed a vanillin content of 0.096 and a normal 
lead number of 0.43. While the vanillin content only approximates that of the 
Tahiti vanilla beans, the flavor is excellent and does not resemble that of the Tahiti 
vanillas. 
The manager of the vanilla department of the house making the 
above report, in a conversation with the writer, stated that he con- 
sidered that this vanilla would probably approximate in value some 
Guadeloupe beans for which he paid $3.60 a pound. 
The A 1 bean is sweeter and would be worth from $3 to $4 a pound, according to 
moisture, etc. The bean marked B seems to have a sour odor, ?,nd I would not look 
upon it with a great deal of favor. However, it may work out better than it looks, 
but without a larger sample it would be impossible to make a fair test. 
We find that the vanillin content of a number of beans runs spasmodically from 
year to year. They can not always be depended upon. * * * There is no doubt 
in the world that a ready market for these beans exists in this country. * * * 
Vanilla beans are coming in from Madagascar and other French possessions at prices 
ranging from $1.50 to $2 per pound for import. 
Mexican beans are much higher. They vary in price from $3.75 to $5.50 per 
pound, according to quality, etc. * * * The South American * * * is a very 
fine bean and if properly cured is as good as the Mexican. 
We are very anxious to get about 100 pounds of vanilla beans as per samples sub- 
mitted, so that we could work them up as under actual working conditions. 
We will pay you a high market price for them. We have no idea what price they 
are selling at. 
We think the quality would compare favorably with the vanilla from the island of 
Guadeloupe, French West Indies, in which case it would be valued in normal times 
at about the price of ordinary Mexican vanilla beans, or the better quality of vanilla 
from Madagascar. 
Just at the moment values are showing a greater difference than usual. Mada- 
gascar vanilla is low and worth to-day $2 per pound, on account of the smaller con- 
sumption in Europe, while the Mexican vanilla, owing to the short crop, the general 
scarcity in this market, and the desire of the consumers not to change their formulas, 
is worth to-day for the low grades $4.75 per pound. If the Porto Rican vanilla were 
properly cured we could pay to-day $2.75 per pound, New York. 
If you can produce vanilla in sufficient quantity to make it worth while, we would 
be glad to send a competent person to Mayaguez who could superintend the curing. 
I find that the beans were very good indeed. Sample B was the better of the two 
and was equal to any Mexican that I have ever seen, both in general appearance and 
especially in the high quality of the extract obtained from them. Sample A wa s 
about equal to the second grade Mexicans. It had a rank odor and taste that made it 
unsuited for the finest uses. 
i Letters refer to samples cured by different processes. 
