Vol. V. No. 115. 



THE AGRECULTUKAL NEA¥S. 



299 



NUTMEG. 



The nutmeg tree (Myristica fragrans), the fruits 

 of whieh are well shown in the accompanying illustration 

 (fig. 18), furnishes the nutmeg and mace of commerce. 

 Most of the members of the natural order Afyristiceae 

 have aromatic properties. 



This beautiful tree, which giow.s to a height of 20 to 2.5 

 feet, is a native of the Moluccas, but has been introduced into 

 many other parts of the tropical world, including the West 

 Indies. 



The fleshy fruit resembles the peach in appearance. 

 When ripe, the Heshy exterior portion splits into two, as 



Fig. 18. NuTMECi. 

 (From The Bool of 'Trinidad.) 



shown in the figure, disclosing the solitary seed (nutmeg) 

 covered by a beautiful scarlet aril, which is the mace of 

 commerce. 



The nutmeg tree is dioecious, that is, male and female 

 flowers are borne on different individuals. As it is impossible 

 to tell whether a tree is ' male ' or ' female ' until it flowers, 

 the expense and time involved in caring for a large number 

 of unproductive trees are lost. The importance of experi- 

 ments in grafting nutmegs (see Agricultural JVeirs, Vol. I, 

 p. 69) is therefore apparent. 



The chief source of the world's supply of nutmegs is the 

 Banda Islands, which export annually about 560,000 tt). to 

 the United Kingdom, ancl 500,000 It), to the United States. 

 Nutmegs are also largelj' exported from the Straits Settle- 

 ments, Reunion, Java, and other places. 



In the West Indies the cultivation of nutmegs is carried 

 on principally in Grenada. The exports from that island in 

 1904 amounted to 5,908 cwt., of the value of £28,402. 



CULTIVATION OF CAMPHOR. 



The Tropical Agriculturist, for July, publishes 

 the following instructidhs, issued by a Japanese Supply 

 Company, in reference to the cultivation of camphor 

 trees : — 



Seed-bed. — Prepare in well-fertilized and rich soil. Plough 

 18 inches deep, break the lumps finel}', make dikes 2 feet 

 apart for drainage and press the surface smoothly. JNIid- 

 spring is the time of the sowing season or when the 

 temperature ranges above 50° F. The seeds being sown, 

 cover them up by means of a sieve through which soil is- 

 allowed to fall to about i inch, and press the top lightly. 

 Straw or hay should be spread over the bed so as to protect 

 the seeds from being washed or blown away by storms, and 

 also to prevent its getting too dry until they sprout, care 

 being taken to keep the .straw in place by sticks fixed into 

 the ground. 



For 1 ft>. of seed a space of 6 .square yards is usually 

 allotted, but the more sparsely sown the better for the growth. 

 One pound produces 2,000 plants on the average, but much 

 naturally depends upon the state of a crop. 



Manure should be given in summer and autumn. In 

 Japan decomposed ordure mixed with oil cake is used in 

 fluid form, but bone-dust or any .similar manures will answer 

 the purpose. No shading is recpiired against the sun except 

 on very hot days ; water should be given in the evening. 

 Clear off the weeds as they appear. 



Transi^lcinting. — Ne.xt spring, after a year, the plants 

 should be removed. Prepare the plantation in the same 

 manner as the seed-bed, but the stems should be cut off at 

 1 inch or 2 inches from the base and also the ends of the 

 roots. About twenty plants are to be planted on 1 square 

 yard for another year's culture. Manure in spring, summer^ 

 and autumn as in the first season, tilling the ground and 

 weeding occasionally. 



Second tranmlanting. — In the spring of the third year the 

 plants are ready to be removed to permanent cpiarters. Treat 

 the plant in the same way as in the first transplanting by 

 cutting off the top and roots. If they are to be planted on 

 hills or moorlands provide a space of 4 square yards for 

 a tree, otherwise 7 or 8 feet apart from each other. 

 The second transplanting may sound useless waste, but it 

 is a method widely practised in a certain province. This 

 may not be absolutely necessary to follow, and the plant can 

 be left two or three years before being removed to its 

 permanent quarters, but its nature is that it does not easily 

 get acclimatized, so the double precaution may save much in 

 the end. Camphor can be extracted from the stems as well 

 as the leaves. The wood of the camphor tree is much emjaloyed 

 in Japan for the manufacture of cabinets, chests of drawers, 

 ward-robes, boxes, etc. Old ones have a fine close ring 

 grain, a clear yellow-brown, silky .sheen, and a beautiful 

 appearance, so that it is well adapted for veneering. Not 

 being subject to the attacks of insects, it is very useful for 

 such works ; besides the odour of the wood imparts 

 a delightful fresh scent to the articles stowed in the receptacles. 



Apart from its economic value the plant has an occult 

 hygienic property. Giant camphor trees, of several centuries 

 old, are invariably to be met with in the precints of temples 

 and shrines of the southern section of Japan ; and the people 

 feel from traditional instinct a sacred sentiment towards the 

 tree, but science has revealed the truth that it serves as 

 a natural purifying agency against any pestilential atmosphere. 

 Its evergreen nature, lustrous dense foliage, mighty form, 

 extraordinary longevity, and aromatic properties are the 

 features highly reconimendable wherever climatic and topo- 

 graphical conditions agreeable to its growth exist. 



