II 
VANILLA 
59 
Into a perfectly clean receptacle is put 25 to 30 
litres of water at about 140° Fahr., and 15 to 20 kilos 
of vanilla are thrown in and vigorously stirred up by 
hand. The pods are then taken out, lightly wiped, and 
put to dry in the shade. 
It is claimed for this process that it saves much of 
the perfume lost in the open air or stove treatment, and 
saves a good deal of hand labour. 
Macfavlan^s Process. — Macfarlane adopts a 
different process for Vanilla pompona from that used 
for the pods of F. planifolia, for the process used for 
the first named cannot be applied to the latter without 
the loss by splitting of many of the pods. 
Vanilla Pompona. — The pods when gathered are 
taken to the house and spread out where the sun cannot 
strike them, 6 or 8 in. deep, upon shelves or on the 
floor until they turn brown. This takes from one to 
three weeks, according to the ripeness of the pods when 
picked. Pods gathered too soon sometimes lie for six 
weeks before turning brown. Thoroughly ripe pods 
begin to turn brown at the tip, the immature ones at 
the stem end or in the middle. When they are of a 
uniform deep red brown colour they can be exposed to 
the sun. 
For this purpose wooden trays are used 3 ft. by 
6 ft., and 2 in. deep. The pods are spread on the 
trays about 1|- in. deep. 
For the first two or three days it is immaterial 
whether the pods are covered with blankets or not. 
They must be turned over two or three times a day, so 
that all are equally exposed to the sun. This is of the 
utmost importance throughout the whole process of 
curing, for if neglected some of the pods are sure to be 
burnt red by the sun. 
About 3 P.M., or whenever rain threatens, while the 
pods are still hot, the trays are removed to the house, 
stacked one upon another, and covered with blankets, 
so as to keep warm through the night. 
After the third or fourth day the pods are removed 
