142 CINNAMON CULTURE IN CEYLON. 



to be of the genuine kind, are deficient in smell and taste, and are conse- 

 quently less useful or valuable ; and the cinnamon grown in the valleys of 

 Morawa Corle, the soil of which is marly, yields a bark of but an inferior 

 quality. Again, the plants which were raised in Bombay, from seeds and 

 seedlings sent thither at an early period of the British rule in this island, 

 although they grew luxuriantly, produced bark of an inferior quality, which 

 was not valued as an article of commerce. 



Besides the inferiority in smell, taste, and colour, which invariably marks 

 plants grown in any other than a silicious soil, a disadvantage of no little 

 importance to the grower has been observed to follow. Whilst the stumps 

 of plants grown in a silicious soil shoot forth rapidly, and are fit to be 

 peeled a second time within a period of but four or five years, and produce 

 bark superior in quality to that peeled at first, those grown on a hilly or 

 marshy soil require a term of not less than six years before they can 

 undergo a second peehng, and yield bark less in quantity and inferior in 

 quality to that peeled at first. 



In the planting and arrangement of cinnamon gardens, a distance of three 

 feet between each shrub should be observed, and a space of nine square 

 feet is required for each plant to grow in. 



We come now to the process of peeling, whereby the bark of the cinna- 

 mon plant is rendered marketable. Before the shrubs are brought under 

 the influence of the hatchet, it must be ascertained that they are sufficiently 

 mature, and this is done by noticing whether the bark, on being split, 

 separates readily from the woody part of the stem on the withdrawal of the 

 knife. After a sufficient quantity of sticks have been collected, the bark is 

 divided longitudinally on opposite sides with a curved sharp-pointed knife ; 

 on being carefully stripped off, it is laid aside to dry for about two days, 

 when the epidermis is scraped off with a broad blunt knife, about two and 

 a half inches long. The smaller pieces of bark are then placed within the 

 larger ones, and after being sufficiently exposed to the influences of the sun 

 and air, they assume the cylindrical form in which they are packed up in 

 bales for exportation. 



It is generally computed that in the cinnamon gardens of Colombo, origi- 

 nally planted by the Dutch Governor Falk, ten full-grown trees yield one 

 pound of the bark, and that the shoots springing up from the stumps of the 

 plants which have been cut down, arrive at a state of maturity in the space 

 of three years. 



It is well known that the bark yields an essential oil, and from the leaves 

 an oil is obtained which resembles clove oil, and is known in commerce 

 under the name of " oil of clOves." From the root is extracted an excellent 

 camphor. The flowers are also used as a spice, and the pulp of the berries 

 is made into cakes by the Kandians. 



The following extract from a translation of a Dutch record, dated Feb. 25, 

 1697, which appeared in the Colombo Journal is subjoined as giving an 

 interesting account of the mode of cultivating the cinnamon tree. It must, 

 however, be remarked, that there is some difference in the kinds of cinna- 



