These are the fruits of an orchid, - Vanilla planifolia, a native of Mexico, but which extends north to the borders of the United States. Though the writer has seen it under culture for nearly half a century, he does not remember ever seeing a seed vessel produced under these circumstances. Most orchids only seed when under the attentions of insects, and perhaps this is why it yields its "beans" or seed vessels so freely in a wild state. The Island of Tahite sends out about 2,000 or 3,000 pounds annually.