NUTMEG. 



seed, used as a carminative and stomachic. A spirituous solution is 

 also used by physicians. 



BETEL. A climbing plant of the E. Indies, of the pepper tribe. It 

 is used in immense quantities in India, the leaves being chewed as we 

 do tobacco, and it colors the lips and saliva a bright red and the teeth 

 black ; the latter color being preferred to the whiteness of the teeth 

 of Europeans. It sweetens the breath and strengthens the stomach. 

 It is carried about the person and presented by men and women, by 

 way of compliment, as we do snuff', it being an offence not to partake 

 of it. The roots of another kind yield an intoxicating juice called ava. 

 These roots are bruised or crushed, and mixed with the saliva. The 

 chiefs drink a pint of this juice at a time. With those not used to it, 

 it causes giddiness and excoriates the rnouth. 



NUTMEG, myristica moshata, C. 22. O. 13. 

 Pt. sp. 2-14. 30 ft. This is a beautiful and 

 valuable tree, a native of the Moluccas, E. I. 

 The well known fruit is a kernel surrounded by 

 the spicy integument called mace, an extremely 

 thick husk resembling in form a small peach ; 

 and the tree is not unlike our peach tree. 

 When the fruit is ripe the husk opens, display- 

 ing a shell, like that of the filbert, within which 

 is the nutmeg. The tree is ascended and the 

 fruit picked from the husks. The nut is then 

 dried in the sun, and afterwards over a slow 

 fire. When the kernel shrinks and is heard to rattle, the shells are 

 broken and the nutmegs taken out. These are then soaked in sea- 

 water and lime, then heated, and afterwards assorted and packed for 

 sale. 



This spice is extensively used, and the amount imported is enor- 

 mous. Distilled with water, or heated and pressed, they afford a large 

 portion of essential oil. The oil of mace, is like that of the nutmeg. 

 The best oil is brought in jars from the E. Indies. The mace is dried 

 and packed in bales for exportation. It has a very fragrant odor, with 

 the virtues of the nutmeg for culinary and medicinal purposes. The 

 fruit in Banda is often boiled and preserved in syrup, or pickled. The 

 husk is likewise eaten stewed. 



The tree is a native of the Moluccas, and was formerly monopolized 

 by the Dutch, but it has been introduced into many other islands. 

 100,000 trees are growing on one plantation in Sumatra. It has also 

 been introduced into Trinidad, W. Indies. The tree is raised from 

 nurseries, where it remains till the 5th year ; it then puts forth its 

 flowers, and indicates its sex. The trees are then transplanted 30 ft. 

 apart, in the form of a diamond, with a male tree in the centre. They 

 Commence bearing the 8th year, and continue to increase many years. 



