160 ODOROGIIAPHIA. 



" Aniseed and Star anise are both to be found in abundance in 

 Assam, the first under the name ' Mahori,' the latter under that 

 of ' Badian.' Among the low hills round about Jowhatti, on the 

 old road to Cherraponjee, and in the Terai forest of both sides of 

 the Khassia and Naga hills, sufficient seedlings of aniseed for 

 stocking an acre can be easily procured, but considerable care is 

 required in transplanting them, and this should be done during the 

 cold weather, the plants lifted with as much earth round the roots 

 as can conveniently be carried." As in this locality it is customary 

 to distil an oil from the leaves of the aniseed plant, the writer 

 gays : — "The object being to obtain as luxuriant a foliage as possible, 

 high cultivation and copious manuring should be resorted to ; the 

 plant may be put in 4 feet by 4, the same distance as tea is 

 planted, but if that part of the district in which the grant is 

 situated is more than ordinarily subject to visitations of blight and 

 red spider, it will Ije prudent to plant somewdiat wider, say 5 by 5, 

 for though tea leaves afflicted with the two pests mentioned make 

 but little difference in the turn-out, the quality of the oil of 

 aniseed will be very sensibly affected by the j)resence of unhealthy 

 leaves, hence the aniseed plantation must be kept clean and in good 

 order. To get the largest yield from the plant, pruning with that 

 view may be carried out as with tea. The leaves should be 

 *mthered precisely as with tea, but removed from the plucking 

 baskets more often, for no heating must be permitted, and plucking 



should only take place in dry weather As regards the 



Star anise, the object being to obtain the largest amount of fruit, 

 the plant will require that class of manure which contains the 

 greatest amount of phosphates. Hence pulverised bones, phosphate, 

 animal or fish offal will be best for it. Although the chief depend- 

 ence should be placed on the fruit, the lark is almost equally rich 

 in oil." 



Anise does not appear to have been known to the ancient Hindus 

 and is not mentioned in Sanskrit works. It was introduced into 

 India by the Mahometans from Persia, whence the supply for the 

 Bombay market still comes. Dr. Dymock says* the natives use 

 anise in the same way as we do. The Persians call it Eazic4nah, 

 which the Arabs corrupt into Eazianaj. They identify it with the 

 Anisum of the Greeks, and the Mahometan druggists of India 



* Pbarmacographia Indica, ii., p. 132. 



