106 SPICES 



CHAP. 



and Province Wellesley, and I can certainly testify that 

 the temperature of the nutmeg hills in the hotter parts 

 of the hot days in Penang is extremely high. At the 

 same time it must be noticed that on the nights 

 following these extremely hot days there is a very 

 heavy fall of dew, which compensates largely for the 

 loss of water which the plant must undergo in the 

 hot weather. The temperature in the shade during 

 these times is 84. Then again, even during the hotter 

 months, rain-storms are not infrequent, so that there 

 is never a continuous dry spell of some three or four 

 months, as occurs farther north. In estimating a rain- 

 fall as suitable to any form of cultivation, it is not 

 sufficient to take the actual number of inches which 

 fall in the year. Climates may have a full rainfall for 

 the tropical rain forest region, but they may be quite 

 unsuited for a plant of that region, because the rain 

 falls excessively heavy at one time and does not fall 

 at all at another ; the result being that the climate 'is 

 too wet at one time and too dry at another, and either 

 the wet or dry spell may kill the plant. 



In 1895, Mr. Hart published a circular showing the 

 influence of the rainfall on the fruiting of the plant in 

 Trinidad, from observations taken for five years on the 

 trees in the botanic gardens there. 



1890 

 1891 

 1892 

 1893 

 1894 



This seems to show that the diminution of the rain- 

 fall is accompanied by a falling off in the crop, the 

 biggest crop being obtained when the rainfall was highest 

 (over 90 in.), the lowest when it was under 60 in. 



He further says that the rainfall should be not less 

 than 65 in. in the year, but that 80 to 90 in. are better 

 for this cultivation. Certainly 65 in. is low for the 



