SCITAMINE^E. 433 



Avliat is sent to Cochin will also appear as exports from tliat 

 Port. 



The following notes have been kindly furnished by ^h\ T. 

 F. Bourdillon, Conservator of Forests, Travaueore, late Superin- 

 tendent of the Cardamom Hills : 



The cardamom plant is indigenous in the evergreen forest of 

 Travancore, between the elevations of 400 and 4,000 feet, but 

 thrives best at the higher of these altitudes. 



The spice is divided into 3 classes : (1) Ma gar a clam, or those 

 cardamoms which ripen in the month of Magaram (January) ; 

 (2) Kanni clam, those which ripen in the month of Kanni 

 (September) ; and (3) Neela elam, or long cardamoms. 



The first two classes grow on the same variety of the plant, 



the whole plant being smaller than that of the long variety, and 

 the difference in the time of ripening is due to dilterences of 

 altitude and climate. 



IT 



The scapes on which the capsules are borne, in the case of the 

 first two classes, always trail on the ground, whereas the 

 scapes of the long cardamoms stand erect, and are often 2h ft. 

 high. 



r 



Magara elani are considered the best. The plants that pro- 

 duce them are grown at an elevation of 3,000 ft, and upwards 

 on the eastern edg-e of the Travancore Territory, where the 

 rainfall is comparatively light, reaching probably not more 

 than 60 inches. In this comparatively dry district the capsules 

 take longer to mature, and though the plant flowers in March 

 and April, at the same time that it flowers elsewhere, the 

 capsules do not ripen till January, and are considerably larger 

 and contain more seed than the other kinds. 



Kanni elani come second. The capsules are very round 

 and sweet, but are smaller than those of the Magara elani. 

 The plants which produce them grow at elevations between 

 1.000 and 2,500 ft., ia a moistcr (100—200 inches) and more 

 forcing climate than the others, and the fruit ripens more 



quickly. 



lii -^^ 



