CHAP. IX GINGER 1^5 



north of India, ginger is cultivated up to 5,000 feet above the 

 sea level. 



Propagation. — The plant is propagated entirely by divi- Cuttings. 

 sion of the rhizomes, and the cuttings are set out at once in 

 the fields, no preparation of plants in nursery beds being at 

 all necessary. A rhizome, or "race," is carefully divided 

 into small pieces, care being taken to leave at least one shoot 

 bud on the cutting, and each piece is then planted in the hole 

 that has been specially prepared for it. 



Cultivation. — The land should be well cleaned and Trenching. 

 trenched, all weeds and rubbish being buried in the trenches 

 so as to enrich the soil. When possible, deep ploughing 

 may be advantageously employed some time before March 

 or April — which are the best months for planting. The 

 cultivation is very like that of the potato. The soil is raised Ridges, 

 in ridges three or four feet apart, and small holes are 

 opened at distances of twelve inches in the ridges. The 

 holes are filled with well-rotted manure, and the cuttings 

 of the rhizomes are planted in the holes at a depth of about 

 three inches. When possible, a thick layer of leaves should 

 be placed over the holes, so as to keep the cuttings cool 

 and moist, besides which, when the leaves rot, they will 

 give extra nourishment to the young, growing plants. The 

 land must be kept weeded ; and, as ginger is a very ex- Weeding, 

 hausting crop, manure should be dug into the land if 

 the cultivation be kept up for successive years in the same 

 fields. 



Crops. — The cuttings having been set in March or April, 

 the plants will flower about September, and afterwards the 

 shoots will wither, and the rhizomes will increase in weight 

 and size. By January or February the spice will be ready Crops 

 to gather, the process being simply to fork the plant out of fe^n month" 

 the soil, care being taken not to injure the races, or " hands" 

 as they are called in Jamaica. The hands, of course, vary 



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