All about grasses, and flowers, and leaves,
And summer that waited so long.
The wind is a lullaby, soft and sweet;
Miss Pussy is purring a tune;
Towser is happy—he’d talk if he could;
Sir Cricket chirps loud, for it’s June.
Pods and Blossoms of the Vanilla.
VANILLA.
Most of the vanilla which goes into American cake and ice cream comes from Mexico. It is made from the beans and pods of a climbing plant which grows wild in that country, and is also cultivated on great plantations. It is a sort of orchid, and has flowers of a greenish white. After these come the pods, which are from six to twelve inches long and dark brown in color. When these are ripe enough they are picked off and treated with heat and moisture until they begin to “work,” or ferment. When the “vanillin” has been extracted from them it is dissolved in alcohol and bottled for use.