292  Some  Commercial  Vanillas.  {^j^mbl™" 
six  months  for  the  fruit  to  be  perfected.  Since  the  extensive  culti- 
vation of  vanilla  in  Reunion  and  other  French  provinces,  the 
exportation  of  the  Mexican  to  France  has  rapidly  declined.  At 
the  present  time,  the  United  States  afford  the  principal  market  for 
this  product.    The  receipts  for  recent  years  were  as  follows : 
1885,   806  cases,        -  100,750  pounds. 
1886,   605  "  75,625  '  " 
1887,   1,023  "  127,875  " 
1888,  \   829  "  103,625 
1889,   852  "  106,500  " 
1890,   947  "  118,375  " 
1891,   1,087.    "         •     135,875  " 
The  crop  of  1890-1891  was  the  largest  ever  grown.  Prime 
Mexican  vanilla  is  from  8  to  10  inches  long,  flattened,  and  about 
Y%  inch  in  diameter  at  the  broadest  part.  Its  upper  end  or  end  of 
attachment  tapers  gradually  for  about  one-quarter  of  the  length  of 
the  pod  and  is  usually  curved  and  slightly  twisted  toward  the  point. 
The  lower  end  is  but  very  slightly  attenuated.  The  color  is  a 
dark-brown  and  the  odor  is  pleasant,  aromatic  and  characteristic. 
The  surface  is  ridged  longitudinally,  the  ridges  being  interspersed 
with  finer  striations  and  warty  excrescences.  The  pdd  feels  firmly 
plump  and  while  fresh  the  surface  is  somewhat  viscid,  but  neverthe- 
less there  is  a  roughness  to  the  touch  which  becomes  more  pro- 
nounced as  it  gets  older  and  drier.  Acicular  crystals  commence 
to  form  at  the  ends  and  gradually  extend  over  the  surface.  The 
interior  is  filled  with  numerous  small  black  seeds  and  a  small 
quantity  of  pulp. 
Bourbon  Vanilla. — The  cultivation  of  vanilla  in  Reunion  was 
commenced  nearly  half  a  century  ago,  and  has  been  steadily  on  the 
increase  until  now  probably  3,000  acres  are  under  cultivation.  In 
1849  only  3  kilogrammes  were  exported  from  Reunion,  in  186 1 
this  had  been  increased  to  40,000  pounds  and  in  recent  years  has  not 
fallen  below  200,000  pounds.  The  quality  of  the  Bourbon  vanilla  has 
likewise  undergone  considerable  improvement,  so  much  so  that 
many  of  the  published  descriptions  in  the  text-books  do  not  fairly 
describe  the  product  in  our  markets  to-day.  The  best  qualities  are 
from  yy2  to  S}4  inches  long  and  */A  to  ^  inch  in  width  at  the 
broadest  part.  The  lower  end  is  but  slightly  attenuated  and  the 
upper  gradually  tapers,  commencing  about  \y2  to  2  inches  from  the 
point,  and  is  twisted  and  turned  in.  In  size  and  general  appearance, 
