i39 
rarely separately given. The United States Trade Returns for 
1902, however, give a table of the imports of Vanilla into that 
country for the decennial period ending in 1902, of which an ab- 
stract is given below. 
Imports of Vanilla in 
Weights 
lbs. 
to the United States of A merica. 
Value. Average 
Value 
per lb. 
1894 
171,856 
1 
727 . 8 53 
* 
4.2 
1896 
235.763 
s ,013,608 
4.2 
1899 
272,174 
1,235,412 
4*5 
1900 
225,966 
1,209,334 
4-7 
1901 
248,988 
8 75> 22 9 
3-5 
1902 
361,739 
8 59>399 
2-3 
These 1 
figures show that although there 
is at present no fall 
off in the 
value. 
demand for Vanilla, there has 
been a great decline 
The same state of things is shewn by the results of the two 
auctions held in London in February and November of the present 
year. At the former, 2,800 tins were sold and at the latter 1,4 ro 
tins. These quantities are in excess of those of former years. The 
prices obtained in Februarv ranged from 22/ 6d. per lb. for best 
qualities to 14/6//. for somewhat short chocolate coloured beans, 
and 7/6 to 1 l/6d for “ foxy brown " beans. In November the best 
qualities realised only 1 7/ to ig(6d per lb. short beans from S/6d 
to 1 1 / and poor qualities 4 f to 7/ per lb. 
It is almost impossible to give accurately the total annual pro- 
duction of Vanilla at the present time, but it may be estimated at 
about 250 tons, of which about 150 tons are produced in the British 
Colonies and Bourbon, and the remainder in Mexico. Such statis- 
tics as are available indicate that the total production has remained 
almost stationary during the last few years, the increased out-put 
from Seychelles and Mexico being compensated by small exports 
from Mauritius and Bourbon. This being the case it is evident 
that the depreciation in value of Vanilla must be ascribed almost 
entirely to the competition of Vanillin as a flavouring agent, in 
this connection it is desirable that it should be known that the so- 
called “Artificial Vanillin ” is identical in every respect with the 
Vanillin contained in Vanilla, and to which the flavour of the plant 
is chiefly if not entirely clue. For this reason it is not possible to 
encourage proposals to prevent the sale of Vanillin as a “substitute'' 
for Variila, 
WYNDHAM R. DUN STAN, 
2qth December , /90J. 
