AnAprT'i92iarm' }       Vanilla  Production  in  Mexico.  273 
years  crops  have  been  prematurely  harvested  in  October  and  No- 
vember. As  a  result  the  beans  weigh  a  pound  less  per  thousand 
than  they  would  normally.  In  compliance  with  an  order  of  the 
Government,  the  authorities  were  formerly  instructed  to  prevent 
the  harvesting  of  unripe  fruit,  but  this  order  has  not  been  enforced. 
A  great  deal  of  that  which  is  produced  early  is  stolen  by  natives, 
who  realize  that  they  can  place  the  product  on  the  market  to  good 
advantage.  Many  planters  have  their  domiciles  and  headquarters 
at  a  considerable  distance  from  their  plantations,  and  in  order  to 
avoid  the  plundering  of  their  crops  they  cut  the  vanilla  early,  rather 
than  be  deprived  entirely  of  the  fruit.  One  of  the  great  problems 
of  the  owners  of  vanilla  plantations  is  to  provide  against  the  rob- 
bery of  their  crops. 
CLASSES  OF  VANILLA  BEANS. 
For  commercial  purposes  vanilla  is  divided  into  four  classes: 
The  large-fine,  the  small-fine,  la  zacate,  and  la  basura.  The  large- 
fine  and  small-fine  are  practically  of  the  same  commercial  value. 
The  former  weighs  from  10  to  12  ounces,  and  each  bean  is  about 
20  centimeters  long;  the  latter  is  from  10  to  15  centimeters  and  its 
weight  is  almost  equal  to  the  large-fine.  The  zacate,  which  is  a 
large  vanilla  bean  weighing  more  than  the  former  two,  grows  more 
abundantly  along  the  roadsides  in  the  warm  and  hot  regions  of 
Mexico,  where  formerly  its  fruit  was  considered  to  be  without 
commercial  value. 
PRICE  OF  VANILLA  QUANTITIES  AND  VALUES  DURING  REPRESENTA- 
TIVE YEARS. 
Because  of  the  fact  that  the  United  States  buys  most  of  the 
vanilla  of  Mexico  the  dollar  is  the  basis  of  price,  both  for  buying 
and  selling.  The  price  paid  at  the  plantation  varies  from  about 
$2.50  to  $3  per  pound,  while  the  price  in  Vera  Cruz  is  about  $3.50 
per  pound.  The  New  York  price  is  about  $4.50  per  pound,  with 
duty  paid.  Mexico  levies  an  export  duty  of  1  peso  per  kilo  plus  a 
surtax  of  10  per  cent.  These  have  been  the  ruling  prices  for  40 
years. 
In  1912-13  exports  of  vanilla  from  Mexico  to  various  countries 
were  as  follows: 
