quality will always remain well above the average valuation. It 
may, of course, never reach again $9.05 a pound, the price of Mexican 
vanilla in 1900. 
Nearly all of the vanilla imported into the United States comes 
from Mexico, from French possessions, or through France. Mexico 
is reputed to lead as to quality, but French Oceania leads in quantity. 
S 4/00,000 
% 4 000,000 
Q <90o,ooc 
\ ?vo,ooo 
^ eoaooo 
^ ^00,000 
\s '9OCZ0O0 
» ^00,000 
\ zoo. 000 
Fig. 1. — Vanilla beans imported into the United States. 
In 1913 vanilla beans to the value of more than $2,500,000 were 
imported into the United States. Asr there is an import duty of 
30 cents a pound on vanillaD Porto Rican vanilla will have exactly 
that advantage over the imported product. 
HISTORY OF EXPERIMENTAL PLANTING AT THE STATION. 
In December, 1909, a collection of cuttings of miscellaneous vanilla 
species was received from the Subtropical Garden at Miami, Fla. 
As many of the species are of slight or no commercial value, it 
was thought advisable to work principally toward the establishment 
of Vanilla flanifolia, this being the species which produces the most 
valuable bean. The cuttings of this species had been received at 
the Subtropical Garden from a vanillery some 10 or 12 miles from 
Papantla, Mexico (as S. P. I. No. 14442), and as well as could be 
traced, from an importation into Hawaii from the Fiji Islands. No 
varietal difference whatever has been seen between the two. 
