Vol. VII. No. 15.i. 



THE AGKICULTUEAL NEWS. 



75 



NUTMEG CULTIVATION. 



The Tvdplcal Ayricultarist of August last con- 

 trtined an interesting article in relation to the nutmeg 

 and its cultivation, from which a few extracts are given 

 below. In the West Indies nutmeg cultivation is 

 carried on principally in Grenada: the exports from 

 that island in 1906 were S.lGfi cwt., of the value of 

 £24 941. 



The mace of commerce, it may be mentioned, 

 is produced from the same fi'uit as the nutmeg, the 

 former being a loose coat of tissue (known botanical ly 

 as the aril) within the external fleshy portion, but 

 surrounding the nutmeg or kernel of the fiuit. 



To quote from the article in ihe Tropical Agri- 

 culturist : — 



The nutmeg tree belongs to the genus Mi/ristira, of 

 whieli there a.re several species, those cultivated in the East 

 being Mi/rlstica moschata, M. ojfiiciiialis, and J/, frai/rans. 

 The tree usually attains a height of about 25 to 30 feet. 



The seed, which is enveloped by the mace, has a hard 

 outer shell, and within is the well-known nutmeg of commerce. 

 The fresh mace is of a bright dark-crimson coloui-, which 

 gradually changes as it dries, and beco'mes golden-yellow. 

 It is aromatic, and, like the fresh nutmes, contains essential 

 oil. The fixed oil is extracted by pressure, forming a sub- 

 stance called ' butter of mace ' ; while the volatile oil is 

 obtained by distillation. Mace contains about 7 to 9 pt-r 

 cent of oil, and about '23 per cent, of aromatic balm. 



The nutmeg tree bears unisexual flowers, the male 

 blossoms being on one tree and the female on another. In 

 the wild nutmeg woods there is naturally about one male 

 tree to every twelve or fourteen female, o'r bearing trees. In 

 plantations where the trees are 20 to 30 feet apart, one male 

 tree is required for every ten females, but as the sex of the 

 tree cannot be told until the tree flowers, which is at about 

 four or five years old, the proportions of the trees cannot be 

 exactly gauged. 



Nutmeg trees may be planted along with cacao, and in 

 Ceylon they are found also as avenues and shelter belts on 

 sonic tea estates. In the AVest Indies, bananas and cassava, 

 etc., are planted as intercrops. The .shade in the plantations 

 is dense, so that there is no expense in weeding, etc. Indeed, 

 the cultivation expense.s, once the tree is up, are almost nil. 

 The iilant requires a rich, well drained soil, and a rainfall of 

 75 to 90 inches, a tropical climate, and shelter from strong 

 wind. The young seedlings may be raised in nursery beds 

 before planting out, but the method of .sowing at stake in 

 plantatif)ns is generally 1 icing adopted, and is said to give 

 earlier bearing plants. 



Beginning to yield fruit at five to eight years of age, the 

 trees go on ii:creasing in yield until they reach full bearing 

 at the age of about twenty to twenty-five years, and then 

 continue in full fruiting condition for very many years. 



Flowering and fruiting of the nutmeg tree continues 

 more or less throughout the year, but tha heaviest crop comes 

 on about July or August. When ripe, the fruit bursts, and 

 must be carefully gathered, .since it is easily injured and 

 this depreciates its value. 



On gathering, the fruits are .sorted and then cured. The 

 curing process takes some weeks to complete, and nnist be 

 carefully done, the nuts being frequently turned. If exposed 

 to too great heat, the essential oil of the nutmeg is lost. 

 The most favourable temperature is from 95' to 104 F. 

 A temperature over 112" is considered injurious. When 

 the fruit is dry, the nut rattles- inside, and then it may be 

 cracked, and the mace separated. 



Sorting, liming, and packing follow the curing process. 

 The nutmegs are sorted according to size and appearance, and 

 are rubbed with dry lime as a protection against worms and 

 weevils. 



The mace is dried, and afterwards packed for shipment, 

 fare must be taken to prevent the growth of mould, and 

 also to maintain the light or orange colour of the product. 



AGRICULTURE IN BRITISH GUIANA. 



'J'he following particulars in regard to the agri- 

 cultural industries, other than sugar, of British Guiana, 

 are given in the Animal ■ Rrport (1906-7) on the 

 colony : — 



The area under cultivation in rice incrca.sed from 

 23,853 aires to 26,568 acres, and the estimated rice crop 

 from 442,860 bags (of 120 lb. each) of paddy to 756,400 bags. 

 Further importation of varieties of paddy from t'eylon was 

 made by the Board of Agriculture. These are being cultivated 

 experimentally in a manner similar to that adopted for 

 varieties of sugar-cane. About 4 acres are occupied with 

 these experiments. 



The area returned as under cacao is 1,760 acres. The 

 exports of this [iroduct amounted to 50,033 lb. during the 

 year, while that of 1905-6 was 57,097 lb. A large [jroportion 

 of cacao iH-oduced in the colony is utilized in the local 

 manufacture of chocolate. 



Cottee is cultivated over 1,460 acres in Briti.sh Guiana. 

 The produce is all u.sed locally, and there is practically no 

 export trade. 



About 6,700'acres are estimated as being occupied by 

 cocoa-nut palms, and during the year under review, cocoa- 

 nuts to the number of 49,900, and having a value of £149, 

 were exported. By far the greater part of the crop of 

 cocoa-nuts is used locally in the manufacture of oil and fibre. 



The area under cotton cultivation shows a decrease from 

 17 acres in the previous year to 10 acres. The lint exports 

 amounted to 303 Iti., valued at £11. 



Plantains and bananas cover 17,800 acres, and ['racti- 

 cally the whole production is consumed locally. 



The returns .show that there are 85,000 cattle in the 

 colony ; and 1,389 cattle, valued at £6,052 were exported 

 during the year, as against the 1,588 head, valued at £7,074, 

 of the preceding year. The Board of Agriculture continues 

 to introduce pure-bred bulls of suitable kinds in the hope of 

 improving the class of cattle raised on the pastures. The 

 number of horses shov.'u is 2,420. 



There are, according to the returns, about 24,500 sheej), 

 15,500 goats, and 15,650 swine in the country districts. 

 The number of these animals exported in 1906-7 was 752, 

 valued at £454, as against 743, valued at £392, in 1905-6! 



The Board of Agriculture continues to devote its attention 

 to the promotion of agricultural work in the colony in several 

 directions. 



In addition to the very extensive experiments with sugar- 

 canes, attention has been devoted to the encouragement of 

 the cultivation of many other tropical agricultural and 

 horticultural products, which can be raised in the colony, 

 more especially rice, cacao, and rubber. 



As a means of interesting the jieople in the proihictiou 

 of agricultural and horticultural [iroducts, the IJoard has 

 encouraged the holding of small local .shows and country awri- 

 cultural exhibitions. Two were held during the year with 

 fair success. Farmers' competitions have also been held and 

 have been attended Ijy much interest on the part of the 

 small cultivators. 



