SPICES AND FLAVORINGS 243 



dustry, the bark was collected from wild trees. Under cul- 

 tivation it has been found that the tree thrives best at an 

 elevation of about i,ooo feet. The cinnamon tree is propagated 

 by seed. The young seedlings are planted at distances of 

 6 to 12 feet apart both ways. Most planters consider that 

 some shade for the cinnamon tree is desirable. The tree may 

 also be propagated from cuttings. In fact, this is a quicker 

 method than that of planting the seed. The seedlings may be 

 cut the second or third year. Three or four shoots appear 

 from each seedling stump and with the constant repetition 

 of this process the plantation finally becomes a thicket. As 

 a rule, two harvests are made each year by cutting the 2 or 

 3-year-old canes at a time when the bark slips readily. The 

 twigs are at once carried to the peeling shed, where they are 

 ringed and split longitudinally, after which the strips of bark 

 are stripped off. These strips of bark are kept moist over 

 night, the epidermis being scraped off next morning. In drying 

 the strips of bark roll into quills. These quills are packed in 

 "pipes" by selecting the larger unbroken quills and packing the 

 smaller quills inside of them. The pipes weigh about i ounce 

 and are packed together in bales of approximately lOO pounds. 

 About one-third of the cinnamon exported is in the form 

 of chips and broken pieces. Cinnamon also comes from French 

 Guiana, Brazil, and the Federated Malay States. Ceylon 

 exports about 6,500,000 pounds annually. The yield is about 

 100 pounds of dried bark per acre. The chief uses of cin- 

 namon are familiar to practically all readers. It is also 

 employed as a medicine and as an incense. The large per- 

 centage of the cinnamon bark is used in the production of 

 cinnamon oil, which is discussed under oils. 



CHILIES 



Chilies, or capsicum peppers (Capsicum minimum, C. an- 

 nuum, and C. frutescens) are familiar herbs or semi-shrubby 



