278 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ April 5, 1888 
then pressed upwards, and the anthers brought down and placed in 
contact with stigmatic surface, as shown in figs. 3 and 7. The expla¬ 
nations given to the figures in the engraving will clearly show the opera¬ 
tions here described. When the flowers have been fertilised they will 
begin to wither about the third day. By the end of the first month 
the fruit attains nearly its full size, although it is not fully de¬ 
veloped until it is six or seven months old. 
Curing the Pods.—The pods are left on the Vine until they begin to 
show a slight yellow tinge at one end. They are then gathered from 
day to day, care being taken not to injure those not yet fit to gather. 
When the day’s gathering is completed, the pods are placed in a basket, 
and, according to one method of preparation, they are plunged for about 
half a minute in very hot, but not actually boiling, water. Directly 
after this operation the pods are spread out on mats to drain. For the 
next six or eight days they are exposed on woollen cloths or blankets 
in the sun, while each night they are kept in a closed box, where they 
undergo a certain amount of fermentation. When they have become 
soft and brown, the pods are placed to dry in the shade, they are 
carefully and regularly pressed between the finjers, slightly anointed 
with oil, and rendered supple and lustrous. When quite cured, the 
pods are of a rich dark chocolate colour, pliable in texture and perfectly 
free from moisture. The whole process of curing extends over several 
wejks. 
In packing for the market, the pods are sorted according to length, 
and put up in packets of fifty pods each ; they are tied in the middle, and 
a,lso near each end. These packets are then carefully [lut up in closely 
fitting tin boxes. When Vanilla pods are in good condition, they 
become covered with an efflorescence of needle-like crystals of Vanillic 
acid. The interior of the bean is then soft, unctious, and balsamic. 
Those who wish to carefully study the various modes of growing and 
curing Vanilla, cannot do better than con.sult “ Vanilla, its Cultivation in 
India,” by J. E. O’Connor, Calcutta, 1881 ; and “ La Vanille, sa Culture 
et sa Preparation.” par A. Delteil. Paris. Challamel ain6, 2, Bus Jacob, 
1881. 
Vanilla plants have be(A frequently grown and fruited in this 
country at Kew, at Sion House, acd other establishments. In 1878, 
Borne bunches at Sion House contained as many as fifteen pods, each of 
which measured i) inches in length. 
Mr. Picsse gives the following interesting information respecting 
the use of Vanilla pods for perfumery purposes :— 
“• In order to obtain the perfume or essence, ^ lb. of such pods are cut 
up small, and put into one gallon of pure alcohol, of a strength known 
as (!0° over proof, giving the whole a shake up daily. The ingredients 
must remain together for, say, four weeks, at which time all that is 
worth extracting will be found in the S])irit, which may then be 
strained off quite clear and bright. It is then suitable as a flavouring 
agent, or, when blended with other scents, it makes delicious per¬ 
fumery. Those sold under the titles of Clematis, Heliotrope, Wall¬ 
flower, Ac., mostly contain about one-half in bulk of Vanilla extract. 
About two centuries ago. Vanilla may be said to have been unknown 
in this country ; it is, however, stated that Morgan, an apothecary, 
showed to Queen Elizabeth a sample, but he knew nothing more about 
it than that ‘ it was brought from abroad by some Spanish merchants.’ 
At the present time the total annual average crop of all the varieties of 
Vanilla from the several countries which produce it may be estimated 
at 80,000 lbs., representing a value of not loss than £150,000.” 
Events of the AVeek. -The second meeting of the Royal Horti¬ 
cultural Society in their new quarters, the Drill Hall, James’ Street, 
Victoria Street, will be held on Tuesday next, April 10th. Upon the 
same day a general meeting of Fellows will be held in the offices to con¬ 
sider the new by-laws proposed by the Fellows’ Committee. Towards 
the end of that week numbers of British horticulturists will be making 
their way to Belgium, the Ghent Quinquennial Horticultural Exhibition 
opening on the 15th inst. 
- Amaeyllises at Chelsea. —The extensive collection of 
Amaryllises in Messrs. Veitch & Sons’ Nursery, Chelsea, is now open to 
visitors, and a fine display of brilliant flowers will be provided for 
several weeks. 
- The AVeathee.— “B. D.” writes from Scotland —“The 
weather in the beginning of the week ending April 2nd was disagreeable 
in the extreme. Snow, hail, and sleet fell on the 27th and 2Sth ult.. 
the latter being in the afternoon and even ng one of the wildest days of 1 
the winter. A strong gale blew from the N.E., and the snowdrift was 
in some districts even more severe than in the preceding storm. Frosts 
from 2° to G° occurred in S. Perthshire during the week. March 
closed with a bright, clear, though cold day, with a N.AV. wind, and 
April continues in its first two days to be of the same character.” In 
the south cold winds have prevailed with occasional showers, and bright 
sunny mornings. 
- On the eve of going to press we have seen an announcement of 
the death of Peofessoe Planchon, of Montpelier, where he filled the 
Chair of Botany, in the sixty-ninth year of his age. He was well known 
throughout the horticultural and botanical world, was editor of Van 
Houtte’s “Flore des Serres,” arid was commissioned by the French 
Government to proceed to America to investigate the ravages of the 
Phylloxera on the various species of native A^'ines. These he imported 
into France, and was instrumental in a great measure in having them 
substitut d, both as permanent crops and as stocks on which to grow the 
E uropean varieties. M. Planchon was also a frequent contributor to the 
scientific periodical literature of France. He was a correspondent of the 
Institute of France and of the Linnean Society of London, and vvas an 
honorary member of the Royal Horticultural Society. 
- AA'E are informed that a fire broke out early on Tuesday morning 
in a large packing shed in the nursery of Messes. Richaed Smith and 
Sons, AVorcester, and a workman in the nursery named Thomas Parker; 
a young man aged twenty-two, was found dead in the building. It is 
supposed that, being out late, instead of disturbing his landlady he went 
into the building to sleep, and that on lighting a match he dropped it 
and the dry moss caught fire, resulting in his suffocation, as he was very 
slightly burnt. 
- A C0EEE3P0NDENT sciids US the following note on Ripe 
Peaches in Maech :— “ On March 26th Mr. T. King, the well-known 
gardener at Devizes Castle, gathered a capital dish of Peaches from a 
tree of Early Alexander planted in a mixed Peach house. Last year he 
was a few days later in gathering, and the fruit sold readily at 5s. each. 
In all pro' ability a still better price will be realised this year, as they 
will be sent to Covent Garden Market for Easter week. The house was 
closed on November 15th, .and seeing \vhat a long and very cold winter 
it has been, Mr. King’s achievement is highly creditable. It is, in fact; 
very doubtful if anyone has, previous to this year, been successful in 
gathering ripe Peaches from planted-out trees so early in the season. It 
would appear that the Peach season now extends over a period of seven 
months, or from April to October inclusive.” 
- A LATE Honorary Secretary of the Ludlow Horticultural 
Society sends us the following note on Azaleas at Downton Hall : 
—“On the 27th ult. I was favoured by a kind invitation to visit the 
Downton Hall Gardens, near Ludlow, to inspect Sir Charles Rouse 
Boughton’s collection of Azaleas, and venture to send you a few remarks 
on what I saw. The collection was well worth the visit, and comprised 
Alba ; Bernhard Andreasalba ; Ch.armer, red, a mass of bloom ; Criterion, 
pink, a 5 feet mass of colour, and no leaf to be seen ; Iveryana, John 
Veitch, Dr. Livingstone, Madame Glover, pure white, a beauty ; Raphael, 
good ; Roi Leopold, 6 feet high by I feet in diameter ; much special 
care and attention seemel to be given to this plant; Sigismund Rucker; 
Stella, I would give the first prize here ; Mrs. Wright, Flag of Truce, 
Her Majesty, Madame Marie Ijefebvre, and Due de Nassau. The 
arrangement of the above, with Roses in full bloom. Heaths, and other 
plants, made the visit on a snowy day a treat indeed.” 
- “ B.” asks, “ If it is generally known that Mes. Sinicins 
Pink is one of the best of forcing plants, not only on account of the 
ease with which it produces flowers, but more especially on account of 
the great size, fullness .and purity of its blooms ? ” 
—— This correspondent also remarks;—“ I fell in with an old 
fashioned plant last autumn which I had not seen for nearly twenty 
years. It is called Rochea falcata, a very striking succulent.with a 
large corymb of small glowing blossoms dotted with a regiment of golden 
anthers. Everybody had to inquire about it. Some to insinuate a 
desire to possess so desirable a plant, others to boldly inquire as to the 
possibility of sparing a cutting. So you see, who read, that Rochea is 
worth growing.” It is belded out every summer in B.attersea Park, and 
flowers freely. 
