384 The World's Commercial Products 



the leaves and roots. " Cassia " of the ancients was probably derived from the bark of 

 several species of Cinnamonum, but the cassia of modern commerce (" Chinese Cassia ") is 

 the fragrant bark of C. Cassia (C. aromaticum), a plant growing abundantly in southern China, 

 whence there is a large export. The bark is often used to adulterate true cinnamon. Saigon 

 Cassia is regarded as superior to Chinese Cassia ; it is grown in French Indo-China. 



Cardamoms 



This spice, better known in India and the East than in Europe, consists of the seeds of 

 two species of Elettaria, viz., E. Cardamonum, the Malabar cardamom, found in the moist 

 forests of north Canara, Coorg, and Wynaad ; and E. major, the Ceylon cardamom, a variety 

 of the first species. The plants have a reed-like habit and bear long, loose racemes of flowers 

 succeeded by triangular capsules containing the seeds. 



The fruits, which vary from half-an-inch to two inches in length, are collected from wild 

 plants and also from plantations, the latter being generally laid out in partially cleared 

 forests in which the wild plants are known to occur. When about three years old the plants 

 begin to bear. The capsules do not all ripen at the same time, and the harvest lasts for 

 nearly three months. The capsules are gathered before they are ripe and then cured in 

 the sun, after which the stalks and remains of the flowers are carefully removed by means 

 of scissors. Cardamoms are exported in the capsules in order to prevent adulteration of 

 the seeds. The seeds are small and irregularly angular, possessing a very delicate aroma. 

 They were well known to the ancients, and are very largely used throughout the East as a 

 condiment. They are employed to a small extent in Europe for flavouring sweetmeats. At the 

 present time great interest is being taken in cardamom cultivation in Ceylon, and special efforts 

 are being made to push the sale of the product in the markets of Australia and Europe. 



Several other varieties of Cardamom enter into the commerce of the East, but they are all 

 inferior to those described above. 



> Chillies and Cayenne Pepper 



Chillies are the dried fruits of Capsicum minimum and C. frutescens, small erect shrubs 

 with spreading branches. The former is the more important, and, although a native of India, 

 it is now found in all parts of the tropics, being largely cultivated in East and Central Africa and 

 in South America. The pointed, oblong fruits are about three-quarters of an inch in length, 

 and of a bright scarlet colour, changing to orange-red on drying. They are used for pickling, 

 and, when ground in a mill form " cayenne pepper." The pungent principle of the condiment 

 exists chiefly in the partition dividing the fruit into two chambers. 



Mustard 



This popular condiment should consist, properly speaking, of the flour obtained by grinding 

 the seeds of Brassica nigra (Black Mustard) and B. alba (White Mustard), plants belonging 

 to the Crucifer family, and widely distributed in Europe and certain districts of North Africa 

 and Asia. Much adulteration is practised, however, with starch, turmeric, and other sub- 

 stances. The plants mentioned are largely cultivated in several parts of the Continent, and 

 in the eastern counties of England. The finest mustard is obtained from the small reddish- 

 brown seeds of B. nigra, the larger yellow seeds of B. alba yielding inferior qualities. When 

 ripe the seeds are threshed from the plants, ground between rollers and pounded, the resulting 

 flour being sifted into various grades. 



Brassica juncea, largely cultivated in India, is the source of " Indian" or " Brown" mustard. 



