78 
SPICES 
CHAP. 
ducing centres of this spice. The plant was introduced 
from Manila in 1848, and in 1850 the cultivation 
began to extend largely, until it attained a very con- 
siderable development. Of late years, however, Tahiti 
vanilla seems to have deteriorated, and its price in 1904 
fell very low. 
There have been many and various suggestions as 
to the cause of this deterioration. It is suggested by 
M. Busse that the plant cultivated in Tahiti is a local 
variety altered by climatic influences from the original 
form. Others suggest that the methods of preparation 
are not suitable, and that the habit of the Chinese of 
buying up green pods and roughly preparing them, and 
then fraudulently mixing them with good pods, is the 
cause of the fall in price ; and again, it is pointed out 
that it is not yet certain that the Tahiti plant is the 
same as the true Mexican V. planifolia. 
Whatever be the cause, the result is said to be that 
the pods are poor in vanillin and have too strong a 
scent of heliotrope, or piperonal. For this reason the 
Tahiti vanilla can hardly be used at all as a condiment, 
and can only be used in perfumery. The fall in price 
is shown by the following table : — 
s. d. s. d. 
In 1897-1899 
1900 
1901 
1902 
1904 
to 5 
11 J per lb. 
4 
11 
2 per lb. 
The export is still, however, very considerable. The 
following is the record of export for some years : — 
1885 
4,919 kilos 
1891 
. 24,585 kilos 
1886 
8,408 „ 
1892 
. 28,560 „ 
1887 
. . 7,610 „ 
1901 
. 92,398 „ 
1888 
. 12,569 „ 
1902 
134|tons 
1889 
8,789 „ 
1904 
. 134,405 kilos 
1890 
. 15,882 „ 
1905 
. 122,083 „ 
Of 
this the United States took 
92 tons, France 35 
tons. The rest went to New Zealand and England. 
