418 
The  Vanilla. 
f  Am.  Jotjr.  Pharm. 
\    Sept.  1, 1874. 
while  others  float  in  the  air.  The  leaves  are  thick  and  fleshy,  as  also 
are  the  greenish-white  flowers.  The  important  part  of  the  plant, 
however,  is  the  pod,  which,  in  some  of  the  species,  is  an  article  of 
commerce,  and  yields  the  delicious  flavoring  which  is  so  well  known. 
Some  little  uncertainty  exists  as  to  which  of  the  species  produces  the 
most  valuable  fruit.  It  appears,  however,  that  V.  planifolia  and  V. 
aromatica  are  the  most  important,  although  V.  guia?iensis,  V.  pal- 
marum  and  V.  pompona  also  yield  some  of  the  vanilla  of  commerce. 
The  pods  as  imported  are  narrow  and  flattened,  from  five  to  ten  inches 
long,  and  of  a  dark  brown  color ;  they  are  pulpy  within,  and  contain 
a  great  number  of  very  small  dark  seeds. 
A  great  part  of  the  vanilla  of  commerce  is  brought  from  Mexico 
and  Venezuela,  and  principally  from  Vera  Cruz,  whence,  according  to 
Humboldt,  the  value  of  the  annual  export,  in  his  time,  was  40,000 
dols.  The  cultivation  is  mainly  carried  on  at  Misantla,  twenty-four 
leagues  northwest  of  Vera  Cruz,  the  inhabitants  of  which  are  the 
only  people  in  Mexico  who  cultivate  the  plant.  The  growth  is 
indeed  extremely  easy,  as  the  ground  requires  no  tilling ;  slips  of  the 
vanilla  plant  are  set  at  the  foot  of  a  tree  on  the  approach  of  the  rainy 
season,  and  soon  begin  to  spread  up  the  trunk.  The  plantations  are 
cleared  once  a  year  from  weeds  and  undergrowth,  and  in  the  third 
year  the  plants  bear  fruit. 
Five  varieties  are  recognized  by  the  growers.  One,  the  vanille  de 
cochon,  is  so  called  from  emitting  an  offensive  smell  whilst  drying. 
The  harvest  begins  about  December,  when  the  fruit  becomes  yellowish- 
green.  There  are  two  ways  of  preparing  it  for  the  market.  In  one 
method  the  fruit  is  allowed  to  dry  until  the  pod  looses  its  green  color. 
Straw  mats  covered  with  woolen  blankets  are  spread  on  the  ground  and 
when  these  are  warmed  through  the  fruits  are  spread  on  them  and 
exposed  to  the  sun.  After  a  time  they  are  wrapped  in  blankets,  and 
placed  in  boxes  covered  with  cloths,  after  which  they  are  again 
exposed.  In  about  twelve  hours  the  fruits  should  become  of  a  coffee 
color,  but  if  they  do  not,  the  process  is  repeated.  After  about  two 
months  daily  exposure  they  are  tied  up  in  bundles  of  fifty  and  packed 
in  tin  boxes.  Five  qualities  of  vanilla  pods  are  known ;  the  best  is 
the  primiera,  the  pods  of  which  are  twenty-four  centimetres  long  and 
proportionately  thick.  The  second  quality  is  called  ehica  prima,  the 
pods  of  which  are  shorter,  and  two  count  as  one  ;  the  third,  sacate  ; 
and  the  fourth,  vesaeate,  are  still  smaller,  four  of  the  latter  being 
