243 



and the colour is darkened. In fact, what is known as " black ginger"^ 

 of the market is the result of this process. Ginger is found in the mar- 

 ket coated with calcareous matter, such as carbonate of lime, etc., this 

 is said to be to fill a demand for *' white ginger." Such a proceeding 

 is apparently unknown among the planters. Well-cured ginger has a 

 decided white coating and that is all they know about it. 



I tried chlorine gas as a bleaching agent, but at best the product was- 

 of a dirty yellow colour. By using the fumes of burning sulphur, the 

 whole being partially enclosed in glass the heat of the sun aiding in the 

 experiment, the ginger was whitened and mildew prevented. I found 

 on irial that it might be of service to place the ginger in a weak solu- 

 tion of chloride of lime before drying ; this would aid in bleaching and 

 prevent mould. 



Curing Ginger. 



After washing, the process of drying follows. The tropical sun is the 

 drying agent in all cases. Large operators have what is called a " Bar- 

 becue." This is a piece of ground several feet square, levelled off and 

 laid with stone and the whole coated with cement. It is placed so as to 

 receive the greatest amount of sunshine. The small planters use what 

 is called a " Mat," consisting of sticks driven into the grounrl, sawbuck 

 fashion, and across these sticks are laid boards, palm, banana or other 

 large leaves ; oftener than otherwise, the place for drying is a few palm 

 leaves spread upon the ground. 



Careful handlers put their ginger out as the sun rises, and turn it 

 over at mid-day, taking it in at sundown. Eainy or cloudy weather 

 invites mildew. It requires 6 to 8 days for the root to become 

 thoroughly dry. I made several tests to ascertain the loss in weight 

 by drying in the sun, and found the average to be nearly 70 per cent. 



Ginger dried in the sun for the market examined for moisture gave 

 the following results : 



Six samples, well-dried specimens, showed a further loss when dried 

 at 10U°C. as follows: 7-2, 8-5, 8*9, 9-5, 10, 11, 12 percent. 



Several poorly-dried specimens, some of which were damp and 

 mouldy, gave from 15 to ^6 per cent, moisture when dried at 100°C. 

 During the progress of my attention to this subject, several attempts 



were made to utilise artificial heat in drying ginger. Such a course 



would, in some respects, be a very desirable one. 



In a portion of the island given almost entirely to the cultivation of 

 this product, a few years ago a wet season prevailed. It was impossible 

 to dry the crop in the sun ; as a consequence there was a loss of crop, 

 followed by considerable distress among the planters. 



During my observations an attempt was fiist made to dry without 

 removal of the skin coat. This, if successful, would have meant the 

 saving of considerable labour. The product was quite dark, the flavour 

 not as good as that of the sun-dried. By removing a part of the coat 

 the drying was hastened. Dr. A. G. McCatty, a practising physician 

 and owner of a plantation, at my suggestion, placed in operation an 

 American fruit evaporator. It was necessary to use wood as a source 



