II 
VANILLA 
41 
on the top of which are laid flat stones, in order to 
keep the cutting thoroughly damp, but this is rarely 
necessary except perhaps in very hot and dry spots, 
where it might be advisable. Under good conditions 
the growth of the vanilla is rapid, and from a cutting 
of three or four joints it will have grown from 10 to 
14 ft. long at the end of the second year, and should 
commence flowering in the third. When the shoots 
have grown to a sufficient length, they require to 
be twisted round the branches of the supporting tree, 
‘ or over the lattice of the trellis, so that it can climb 
over and hang down. This must be done gently, so as 
not to tear or bruise the leaves, branches, or roots. 
It is on these long hanging branches that the 
flowers are produced. As long as the vine can climb 
upwards it will not flower, so that it is not advisable 
to grow it on too high a support, for not only will it 
take longer to produce the hanging branches, but there 
is much more difficulty in getting at the dowsers to 
fertilise them later. 
These long branches, when they reach the ground, 
often take root there and reascend the support. The 
long shoots turn downwards when the plant has grown 
to the top of its support, and when grown on low 
trellises, or posts or bushes, turn down of themselves. 
On taller trees it is often necessary to turn them down 
to prevent them from growing out of reach. The vines 
should be examined every two months or so, and the 
stems over 10 or 12 ft. long should be turned down 
over the lower branches. “ Do not let the vine hang 
nearer than a foot from the ground,” says Macfarlane, 
but “ pinch off the end when it has reached that length.” 
In turning down it is often found that the plant has 
clung by its roots to a support and cannot be moved 
easily without breaking these roots. It is better to 
cut them through rather than to break them. They 
are no longer of any use to the plant, and attempts to 
uncoil them may end in breaking the vine, which is 
more brittle than the roots. 
