426 SPICES 



CHAP. 



with yams, maize, castor - oil, brinjals, onions, etc. 

 (Watt's Dictionary of Economic Products). 



It is often planted on old sugar-cane fields, and is 

 considered an ameliorating crop. Most Bengal native 

 gardens have a patch of turmeric to supply the native 

 curry powder, for which it is much in demand. 



Turmeric will grow luxuriantly in shade if not too 

 dense, but it produces larger and better rhizomes in the 

 open ground, exposed to the sun. Low-lying wet 

 ground does not suit it, and it will not stand being 

 flooded. In ground too dry, and in dry seasons of con- 

 siderable duration, irrigation is necessary, and as this 

 supplying of the plant with water makes a considerable 

 difference to the cost of cultivation, damp soils are 

 preferred when obtainable. 



Preparation of the Soil. In most parts of India 

 where the plough is commonly used, the ground is 

 ploughed over as for ginger, and all weeds cleared away. 

 In the Malay peninsula, the Chinese, the usual culti- 

 vators, hoe the ground and make it loose and friable, in 

 the same way as they prepare the ground for ginger. 

 It is said that lands intended for turmeric do not require 

 so much working over as those for ginger, but six or 

 seven ploughings are sufficient for the crop. 



Planting. Turmeric, like ginger, is propagated by 

 small pieces of the rhizome. These are usually in India 

 planted in the early part of the year ; in Patna, about 

 the 20th of May ; in Bengal, from February to June ; 

 in Madras, in June or July. These various dates, given 

 in Watt's Dictionary, seem to suggest a difference in 

 the time of rainfall, as it is essential that it should be 

 planted when the soil is damp. In the Malay peninsula, 

 no special time is selected for planting, as the rains are 

 pretty constant throughout the year and it can be 

 planted at almost any time. 



The principle of planting is much the same as for 

 ginger. The ground is dug into ridges and furrows. In 

 Bengal, the ridges are made 9 or 10 in. high and 18 or 

 20 in. wide, with trenches 9 or 10 in. wide between, or, 



