CARDAMOMS 351 



perforated, and which are used by the natives for all 

 kinds of spices, rice, etc. , which they dry in such trays. 



Owen gives another system of curing when there is 

 no house, or stove, or appliances for doing the thing 

 well. A day's gathering should be thrown into a large 

 tub or box at 4 P.M., and thoroughly washed in cold 

 water. After washing the fruit can be taken out 

 of the water and put into a box or sack over night. 

 Next morning wash the fruit again and spread them 

 out on Hessian cloth or mats in the sun. About 9 A.M. 

 they begin to get dry ; they should be sprinkled with 

 water from a watering-can, and given a shake-up so 

 that all the fruit will get wet. Expose them to the 

 sun again to get dry, and when they look dry, say about 

 eleven o'clock, water them again as before. Water them 

 three or four times a day for the first two days, after 

 which you can begin to dry them gradually (without 

 watering). This is done by exposing them daily in the 

 sun, say from 6 to 11 A.M., and from 1 to 4 P.M. ; from 

 1 1 to 1 o'clock, if the sun is very hot, draw a thin cloth 

 or mat over the fruit while on the barbecue (a cement 

 floor for drying produce) in the sun. This process must 

 be carried on daily for a fortnight, or perhaps more, 

 until the fruit is thoroughly dried. During the night 

 spread them out thinly over your store, floor, away from 

 any chance of their getting damp, as damp or mildew is 

 bad for them. After clipping and sorting out husks 

 and light fruit, and separating the split fruit from the 

 good, the fruits are sorted by passing them into three 

 sizes or grades. 



After the sorting is finished the fruit is sulphured in 

 a box prepared for the purpose. The box is made to hold 

 a number of trays or tats, say 1^ in. square frame. On 

 this nail cane or bamboo tats, or open jute Hessian 

 cloths. From the bottom of the box to the first tray 

 there should be at least 1 ft. clear space for placing the 

 sulphur, which is put in tin saucers. It is well to have 

 the saucer resting on a stone while the sulphur is 

 burning in the box. 



