4 
METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS. 
In 1912 the total rainfall amounted to 106 inches and was 
the highest on record for a period of 8 years. In 1916 the rain¬ 
fall reached 85 inches only, but in 1914 it rose to 121.58 inches 
and was by far the highest on record for a period of 10 years. 
In 1915 the rainfall was still higher and amounted to 133 
inches at the Botanic Station. No higher rainfall was ever 
recorded at the Botanic Station which was created 15 years ago. 
In the month of February as much as 30 inches were recorded 
in 1915. 
This heavy rainfall was detrimental to vanilla flowering 
except on the hills where vanilla is accustomed to heavy show¬ 
ers and permanent moisture. Coconut trees, rubber, bananas, 
plants yielding perfume and fruit trees benefited very much 
in their growth, but coconut and fruit trees on which the pros¬ 
perity of this Colony depends, seemed as in 1914, to have suf¬ 
fered from insufficient pollination of their flowers, the rains 
washing away the pollen grains from the stigmas nearly all the 
year round. Vanilla flowering seemed promising until Sep¬ 
tember but the plants which were vigorously growing at the 
time of the first flowering were checked by a short spell of very 
dry weather. This caused the dropping of the remains of the 
flowers which ought to keep at the end of the pods until they 
have finished growing. Before the vines had finished flower¬ 
ing a second and new flowering appeared and th’s second 
flowering got enough rain for the normal development of 
the pods. On this second flowering the crop of vanilla 
for 1916 will depend. The first flowering will produce undeve¬ 
loped pods only. It is the first time for a great number of 
years that the influence of a short spell of dry weather has 
been so much in evidence. This is due, no doubt, to the long 
rainy weather which was experienced for a long time and 
which caused the roots of the vine to develop abundantly near 
the surface of the ground in which position they soon get 
withered and scorched by the sun in very dry weather. The 
roots were unable, under this condition, to supply the water 
required for the normal development of the pods. 
