190 SPICES 



CHAP. 



AREAS OF CULTIVATION 



The clove tree has been at one time or another 

 introduced into nearly all parts of the tropics, experi- 

 mentally at least, but comparatively few attempts have 

 been made in most tropical countries to cultivate it on 

 a large commercial scale. The Dutch, in the early days 

 of cultivation, held the monopoly of this spice, as well as 

 that of nutmegs and pepper, and it was this that induced 

 the British to make strenuous efforts to break down 

 the monopoly and to establish plantations elsewhere. 

 The history of this has already been given. 



The clove is, however, a tree which requires an 

 insular maritime climate, and did not prove to be suited 

 to all places in which it was introduced. It was also of 

 comparatively slow growth, and its produce was only in 

 limited demand, so that a very extended area of cultiva- 

 tion was not required to stock the world's markets. 



It is probably due to these causes that the cultiva- 

 tion is practically limited to a comparatively small 

 number of countries within the tropics. 



Malay Archipelago. The clove has been success- 

 fully cultivated for commercial purposes in the Moluccas, 

 its original home, and in Sumatra and Java. 



It is difficult to get any clear idea of the export at 

 the present day from the Moluccas, but the amount 

 exported thence seems to fluctuate largely. In 1846 

 it was stated that the four islands, Amboyna, Haruku, 

 Saparua, Nusa-laut, in which the clove is cultivated, 

 produced 1,913,399 Ibs., but only 197,826 Ibs. in 1849, 

 and in 1854, 1,123,972 Ibs. 



In Java the cultivation never seems to have been 

 very large. Spon's Encyclopedia gives only 12,266 

 Ibs. in 1879-1880, and 464,547 Ibs. in 1878-1879, and 

 in 1871, 186,226. It is probable that most of these 

 were re-exported from the Moluccas. 



Zanzibar and Pemba. The clove was introduced 

 into Zanzibar from Mauritius by an Arab in the latter 

 end of the eighteenth century, and has become the 



