Spices and Condiments 



381 



of the planting of new seeds. Since this method is very uncertain and involves a great 

 loss of time, the modern practice is to graft a branch of a female tree on to all plants when 

 two years old before the sexes can be distinguished. When ripe, the fruits are gathered 

 by hand and the outer part discarded. The mace is carefully removed to avoid breakage, 

 flattened out, and dried in the sun, when it loses its brilliant scarlet colour. It is well known 

 as a valuable spice. The seeds are dried in ovens or in the sun for several weeks until the- 

 kernels rattle in the thin outer seed coat. The latter is then broken and the kernels or nutmegs 

 cleaned and packed for export. 



The " mild " or " long " nutmeg is much inferior to the true nutmeg • arid- is derived from 

 a variety of M. fragrans, which is sometimes regarded as a distinct species, M. fatua. The 

 Papua nutmeg is the kernel of M. argentea. There are several other so-called nutmegs which 

 are of little or no use as a spice, the more important being the Calabash or Jamaica nutmeg 

 (Monodora Myristica) ; the Brazilian nutmeg (Cryptocarya moschata) ; and the Californian 

 nutmeg (Torreya Myristica), 



Ginger 



Ginger is prepared from the dried rhizomes of Zingiber officinale', a plant with : a somewhat 

 reed-like habit found truly wild only in Asia, but now cultivated in many parts' of the tropics, 



By permission of Messrs. Peek Bros. & Winch, Ltd. 



CEYLON. PREPARING CINNAMON 



