S76  Vanilla.  ,  ]A,n5SiTm- 
i 
hundreds  of  the  long,  luscious,  tapering  Vanilla  Bean  ;  in  circum- 
ference almost  equal  to  a  banana  and  from  two  to  three  inches 
longer.  Some  of  a  dark  green  and  others  of  a  bright  yellow,  and 
sometimes  where  they  grow  most  luxuriantly  resembling  bunches 
of  bananas,  apparently  growing  upon  the  native  trees  of  the  forests. 
The  remoteness  from  civilization,  the  total  absence  of  everything 
indicating  care  or  cultivation,  and  the  strange  juxtaposition  of  this 
wealth  of  ripened  fruit  to  the  wild  and  unbounded  woods  made  the 
scene  one  of  the  most  strange  and  marvellous  upon  which  the  eye 
ever  rested.  Vast  areas  containing  hundreds  of  square  miles  of 
contiguous  territory  in  this  province  are  devoted  to  the  growth  of 
this  plant :  wherever  you  look  and  wherever  you  travel  you  are 
confronted  with  this  overhanging  vegetation.  You  behold  the 
primeval  forest  utilized  by  the  half-civilized  natives  as  a  natural 
garden  for  the  growth  of  this  delicious  aromatic  plant. 
The  cultivation  of  the  plant  consists  of  cutting  away  the  forests 
to  give  it  room  to  grow.  The  vines  are  naturally  grown  from  cut- 
tings, the  same  as  grape  vines,  but  they  are  also  grown  direct  from 
the  seeds,  and  in  such  cases  the  fruit  is  much  later  than  when  the 
vines  are  planted.  The  vine  is  very  hardy  in  its  native  element, 
and  sometimes  takes  root  even  if  thrown  carelessly  on  the  ground, 
providing  it  has  shade  and  moisture.  Four  or  five  years  after  the 
vine  is  planted  and  sometimes  before  that  period,  its  base  rots  at 
some  distance,  and  before  this  occurs  rootlets  form  above  that  por- 
tion which  is  dying,  have  already  grown  and  descended  along  the 
tree  to  get  nourishment  from  the  earth.  This  circumstance,  added 
to  the  fact,  that  if  a  reed  be  severed  some  distance  from  the  ground, 
it  does  not  die,  has  given  rise  to  two  distinct  theories  respecting 
this  plant,  which  I  desire  here  to  take  the  opportunity  of  correcting  ; 
the  first  theory  which  has  the  support  of  many  reputable  scientists 
is  that  the  plant  is  Epiphyte,  deriving  its  sustenance  from  the 
atmosphere,  and  being  independent  of  the  soil,  and  the  second  that 
it  is  a  parasite,  and  derives  its  nourishment  chiefly  from  the  trees 
to  which  it  clings.  A  careful  examination  of  the  plant  in  its  natural 
forests  and  a  patient  study  of  its  habits  and  characteristics  have 
convinced  me  that  both  of  these  theories  are  founded  in  error, 
although,  before  my  visit  to  Mexico,  I  confess  I  had  been  led  to 
adopt  the  parasitic  theory,  upon  information  from  many  intelligent 
growers, 
