194. ODOROGRAPHIA. 
diameter, receive injury, the whole root will certainly perish. 
Thunberg mentions a fifth method of cultivation, or rather a 
manner of obtaining cinnamon of superior quality :—* When the 
tree is cut down, and a fire kindled on the spot to consume the 
stumps, the roots afterwards throw out a number of long straight 
shoots which yield incomparably fine cinnamon. From these are 
cut the common walking-sticks, which, in appearance, resemble 
those of the hazel tree and retain the taste and smell of cinnamon. 
In taking the harvest, the shoots are not all cut at once, but 
by degrees, as they arrive at the required maturity. The shoots 
which are cut are usually from a half to three-quarters of an inch 
in diameter and from 3 to 5 feet in length. When the cultivator 
perceives a shoot of proper growth, he strikes an instrument 
which resembles a small bill-hook into it, obliquely. He then 
gently opens the gash to discover whether the bark separates 
freely from the wood; should this not be the case, he leaves the 
sucker for a future time. Some shoots never arrive at a fit 
state for decortication. Plants of several years’ growth some- 
times bear numerous marks of “ annual experiments ” made for 
the purpose of ascertaining whether the bark was in a fit state 
for removal. 
Two crops are gathered during the year; the first, and largest, 
lasts from April till the end of August, the second commences in 
November and finishes in January. The reason of selecting 
these periods is that the sap is more active after the rains, and 
then the bark is more easily detached from the wood. 
The branches are lopped off by means of a long knife in the 
shape of a hook or sickle. The leaves and outer bark are removed, 
and the inner bark is cut round at distances of about 30 centi- 
metres. ‘Two cuts are then made lengthways, one on either side of 
the branch, and when the branch is thick three cuts are made. 
The bark is then carefully removed by inserting a peeling-knife 
beneath it. When the bark adheres firmly the separation is 
facilitated by friction with the handle of the knife. 
After 24 hours each tube of bark is placed on a small stick of 
convenient thickness and the outer epidermis and green pulpy 
matter from the inner surface carefully scraped off with a knife. 
After a few hours the smaller quills are introduced into the 
larger ones, so forming solid sticks often measuring 40 inches in 
length. In this state they are left for a day in the shade and 
