380 



The World's Commercial Products 



CEYLON. DRYING CARDAMOMS 



Zanzibar cloves are larger than the Pemba variety, and, unlike the latter, are not black 

 but red in colour, being known in the trade as " Zanzibar red-heads." Cloves owe their valuable 

 properties to the presence of a considerable quantity of the volatile oil, oil of cloves. » 



Nutmegs and Mace 



This valuable spice' consists of the dried kernels of the seeds oi-Myristica fragrans, a tree 

 about twenty-five feet" high, in general habit somewhat resembling an orange tree. The flowers 

 are of separate sexes, the trees being either male or female ; .the nutmegs are, of course, 

 obtained only from the latter. The round or oval fruits, which closely resemble a small peach 

 in size and shape, are at first green, but become yellow on ripening. The thick, fleshy outer 

 covering gradually becomes dry and leathery, and separates into two valves from the apex 

 exposing the scarlet " mace," a reticulate membrane covering a thin brown skin which encloses 

 the true kernel or nutmeg. The latter, when cut across, is found to be yellowish, with 

 dark-brown mottled veins due to the' infolding of the seed coat. 



Myristica fragrans is a native of the Malay Archipelago, and 'is abundant in the Banda 

 Islands, whence, for a long' time, supplies were chiefly obtained. The industry, for many 

 years, was a monopoly of the Dutch Government, but in addition to the plantations of Banda, 

 Sumatra, and Java, numerous varieties are now cultivated in Penang, Singapore, Ceylon, and 

 the West- Indies, especially 4rr "Grenada. The plants are raised from seed, and nine years. 

 must elapse before the first crop can be gathered. It is only when they are six or seven 

 years old that the female plants can be distinguished from the males, and of the latter only 

 a few are allowed to remain for fertilisation purposes, the remainder being cut down to allow 



