peculiar mottled appearance and tends 

 to destroy parasites which may be 

 present. 



Mace loses its carmine color upon 

 drying and becomes reddish-brown and 

 very brittle. It has an odor and taste 

 similar to those of the nut, but is more 

 delicately aromatic. Wild or Bombay 

 mace is obtained from Myristica fatua 

 and is frequently used to adulterate the 

 true mace or Banda mace. The nuts of 

 M. fatua are longer than those of M. 

 fragraiis and are therefore designated 

 as long nutmegs; the term "male nut- 

 megs" applied to them is incorrect. 

 The long nutmeg is greatly inferior to 

 the true nutmeg, or round nutmeg as it 

 is sometimes called. 



Banda supplies by far the most nut- 

 megs at the present time. Penang nut- 

 megs are of excellent quality and are 

 always placed upon the market un- 

 limed, but they are frequently limed 

 subsequently in foreign ports and mar- 

 kets. Singapore nutmegs are usually 

 unlimed. Nutmegs are generally des- 

 ignated by the name of the country 

 from which they are obtained, as Dutch 

 or Batavian, Sumatra, Penang, Singa- 

 pore, Java, and Banda nutmegs. 



There are a number of so-called nut- 

 megs which are derived from plants 

 not even remotely related to Myristica. 

 Ackawai, Camara, or Camaru nutmeg is 

 the nut of a tree growing in Guiana 

 highly valued as a cure for colic and 

 dysentery. American, Jamaica, Mexi- 

 can, orCalabash nutmeg is the spicy seed 

 oi Mo nodora Myristica. Brazilian nutmeg 

 is the seed of Cryptocarya moschata^ 

 which serves as a very inferior substi- 

 tute for nutmeg. California nutmeg is 

 the fruit of a conifer (Torreya), which 

 resembles nutmeg so closely in appear- 

 ance that it has been supposed that 

 Myristica fragrafis was a native of Cali- 

 fornia. This fruit has, however, a very 

 camphoraceous odor. Clove or Mad- 

 agascar nutmeg is the fruit of Raven- 

 sara aromatica, a tree native in Mada- 

 gascar. Peruvian nutmeg is the seed 

 of Laurelia sempervireits. 



The nutmeg has a peculiar mottled 

 appearance, ranging from grayish 

 brown to light gray or white in the 

 limed article, the depressions and 

 grooves holding the lime while the 



ridges and elevations are free from it. 

 In Shakespeare's Henry V. the Duke 

 of Orleans, in speaking of the dauphin's 

 dapple-gray horse, says: "He's of the 

 color of nutmeg." The taste of nut- 

 meg is peculiarly aromatic, pungent, 

 and somewhat bitter. 



The principal use of nutmeg is that 

 of a spice, although not so commonly 

 employed or so well liked as some 

 other spices. It contains a fat which 

 forms the nutmeg butter; this is an 

 unctuous solid substance of an orange- 

 brown or yellowish-brown color, with 

 the odor and taste of nutmeg. This 

 fat is used as a stimulating application 

 in rheumatism, sprains, and paralysis. 

 Nutmegs also contain some volatile 

 oil, which is said to be poisonous; at 

 least some persons are very susceptible 

 to the effects of the volatile oil of nut- 

 meg. In this connection it might be 

 stated that the frequent and long-con- 

 tinued use of spices is injurious, pro- 

 ducing dyspepsia, functional heart 

 trouble, and nervousness, and seems to 

 have a special action upon the liver, 

 causing an excessive development of 

 connective tissue and a reduction in 

 the functional activity of the liver cells. 

 " Nutmeg liver" is a condition resulting 

 from passive venous congestion of that 

 organ, and refers to its mottled or nut- 

 meggy appearance only. 



Mace is comparatively rich in vola- 

 tile oil. Nutmeg and mace are botb 

 extensively employed as condiments^ 

 They are frequently given in the form 

 of a powder to stimulate and aid diges- 

 tion. Nutmeg flavor consists of nutmeg,. 

 oil of nutmeg, and alcohol. Mace-ale is. 

 ale sweetened and spiced with mace. 



It is stated that whole nutmegs have 

 been adulterated with wooden imita- 

 tions. Connecticut is known as the 

 Wooden Nutmeg State because it is 

 facetiously said that such nutmegs were 

 manufactured there. 



Description of plate: 



A, branch with staminate flowers; i^ 

 stamens magnified; 2, longitudinal view 

 of stamens; 3, transverse section of 

 stamens; 4, pollen-grains; 5, pistillate 

 flower; 6, pistil; 7, fruit; 8, half of per- 

 icarp removed; 9, nut with arillus 

 (mace); 10, nut without mace; 11, nut 

 in longitudinal section; 12, embryo. 



