354 VEGETABLE SUBSTANCES. 



larger than that of the clove ; the leaves are more 

 handsome in the outline, and are broader in propor- 

 tion to the length. They are of a fine green on the 

 upper surface, and grey beneath. When the trees 

 have attained the age of about nine years they begin 

 to bear. They are dioecious, having male or barren 

 flowers upon one tree, and female or fertile upon 

 another. The flowers of both are small, white, bell- 

 shaped, and without any calyx ; the embryo fruit 

 appearing at the bottom of the female flower, in the 

 form of a little reddish knob. The female flowers 

 grow on slender peduncles, two or three together, but 

 it is rare that more than one flower in each bunch 

 comes to maturity and produces fruit ; this resembles 

 in appearance and size a small peach, but it is rather 

 more pointed at both ends. The outer coat is about 

 half an inch thick when ripe, at which time it bursts 

 at the side and discloses the spices. These are 



The Mace, having the appearance of a leafy net- 

 work of a fine red colour, which seems the brighter 

 by being contrasted with the shining black of the 

 shell that it surrounds. Jn general, the more bril- 

 liant its hue the better is its quality. This is laid 

 to dry in the shade for a short space ; but if dried 

 too much, a great part of its flavour is lost by 

 evaporation, while it is also more apt to break in 

 packing. On the other hand, if packed too moist, 

 it either ferments or breeds worms. After being 

 dried, it is packed in bags and pressed together very 

 tightly. 



The Nutmeg. The shell is larger and harder than 

 that of a filbert, and could not, in the state in which 

 it is gathered, be broken without injuring the nut. 

 On that account the nuts are successively dried in 

 the sun and then by fire-heat, till the kernel shrinks 

 so much as to rattle in the shell, which is then easily 



