356 



SPICES 



CHAP. 



1872 

 1873 

 1874 

 1875 

 1876 

 1877 

 1878 

 1879 

 1880 

 1881 

 1882 

 1883 

 1884 

 1885 

 1886 

 1887 

 1888 

 1889 



Ibs. 



9,273 



9,000 



9,000 



14,337 



4,965 



11,108 



15,975 



17,732 



17,392 



17,769 



23,127 



21,655 



66,319 



152,405 



236,056 



321,500 



310,685 



350,000 



Value in Rupees. 



15,521 

 8,202 

 19,226 

 35,398 

 15,127 



The Portuguese were the first to pay attention to 

 the cardamom as an article of trade in Ceylon in the 

 sixteenth century, and the Dutch Government fostered 

 the industry in every way during their occupation of 

 the island. But it was after the failure of coffee in 

 Ceylon in 1878, that the industry developed to its 

 greatest. So successful was this cultivation that it is 

 recorded that an acre of cardamoms produced as much 

 as 300 worth. The price, however, owing to increased 

 production, fell, but even at 2s. per Ib. cardamoms 

 give a handsome profit. The present price is about 4s. 

 per Ib. 



USES 



Cardamoms are used in curry -powder, and for 

 flavouring cakes, especially in Russia, Sweden, Norway, 

 and parts of Germany. They are also used in the 

 manufacture of liqueurs, Ceylon cardamoms being 

 almost exclusively used for this purpose. 



In European medicine they are chiefly used in 

 tincture of cardamoms, as a stomachic, and in combina- 

 tion with other drugs as an aromatic. 



