CINNAMON 219 



with a small chopper, and opens the cut to see whether 

 the bark separates readily or not. If it does not he 

 leaves it for a future time. Some shoots never arrive 

 at a fit state for peeling. 



The shoots fit for peeling are cut down and the tops 

 and branches cut off, and the sticks collected, tied in 

 bundles, and carried to the peeling shed. The bits 

 left on the ground should not be removed, but used 

 with a mulch of weeds, etc. to manure the ground, as 

 already described. 



PEELING 



This is done with a specially made knife, small and 

 round-pointed, with a projecting point on one side for 

 ripping the bark off. The peeler, sitting down on the 

 ground beside the bundle of sticks, takes one in his left 

 hand and makes a longitudinal slit from end to end, 

 working the knife between the bark and the wood till 

 he has raised it |- in. wide. Then turning the stick he 

 makes a parallel slit, and working the knife on that side 

 detaches the slip of bark. Sticks that do not peel freely 

 he rubs with a piece of hard wood. 



From time to time the slips are packed together, 

 the convex side of one to the concave side of the next, 

 till about 8 or 9 in. wide and about Ij ft. long. The 

 packs are piled in a small enclosure of sticks, and when 

 the day's work is done the heap is covered with scrapings 

 and a mat is tied over it. This is called " fermenta- 

 tion " by some people, but hardly amounts to that. The 

 object is to keep the bark moist for the next operation. 



PIPING 



On the morning of the second day three sticks are 

 driven into the ground at such an angle that they will 

 cross each other about 1 ft. high, and tied firmly at the 

 point of crossing. They are used for supporting one 

 end of a fourth stick, the other end of which rests on the 

 ground. The operator sits down on the ground, places 



