NUTMEGS. 



Nutmegs are principally propagated by seed, and care should be taken that well-ripened, selected 

 nuts are chosen for planting. The nuts must be sown as soon as they are picked, or placed in soil 

 until it is convenient to plant them. They should be planted a foot apart in rows, and ought only to be 

 lightly covered with soil. Shade and protection are necessary till they have germinated, which takes 

 from 30 to 60 days. When from 3 to 4 feet high they can then be transplanted, and may be set from 

 25 to 30 feet apart, and in dry weather it is advisable to water them. 



A strong rich and rather moist loamy soil is best suited for the Nutmeg. Shade trees are essen- 

 tially necessary. 



The trees begin to bear when about 10 years old, and continue productive for 70 or 80 years ; the 

 fruit takes 9 months to mature. 



The fruit as it splits is gathered by means of a hook attached to a long stick, the pericarp is then 

 removed, and the mace carefully stripped off. The nuts are then taken to the drying house. The dry- 

 ing operation lasts for about two months, during which time the Nutmegs are turned every second or 

 third day. At the end of this period the kernels are found to rattle in the shell, an indication that the 

 drying is complete. The shells are then broken, the Nutmegs picked out and sorted, and finally 

 rubfced over with dry sifted lime, 



ANNATTO. 



(Bixa Orellana, L.) 



Several enquiries have been made respecting the note in the Annual Report concerning Annatto". 

 There is no doubt that Agriculturists in the Tropics will find it indispensable to procure the Kew Bul- 

 letin, but occasionally it may be useful to quote from its pages in the local Bulletin. The following 

 communication was received at Kew from Messrs. Fulwood & Bland, Annatto Manufacturers, of 31 

 Bevenden St., Hoxton, London : — 



"The great bulk of Flag Annatto comes from Cayenne and Guadaloupe in the form of a paste made into 

 cares of about 8 or 10 lbs., which are wrapped up in banana leaves and packed in casks weighing about 5 cwt. 

 each. The best kind is that from Cayenne, but it varies very much in quality, so much so that its value at 

 the present time ranges from 5d. to Is. 8d. per lb. ; it also fluctuates very much in price according to the 

 seaeons. The Guadaloupe Annatto is very inferior, being very sour, but bright in colour in consequence of 

 the f-cid that the natives put into it ; it is, however, of very little value for manufacturing purposes and 

 therefore never realises such a high price as Cayenne Annatto ; moreover, it does not contain anything like 

 the amount of colouring matter present in the Cayenne kind. Annatto seeds principally come from the West 

 Indies and Ceylon. We have never heard of any being imported into this country from Cayenne or Guada- 

 loupe ; the best that we have seen have been from Jamaica ; they vary very much indeed in quality in con- 

 sequence of insufficient care in collecting, cuiing and drying them before exportation. Large quantities 

 came into the London Market last year very much deteriorated in value in consequence of having been 

 packed when damp and getting heated and mouldy ; the colouring matter was seriously damaged, and a food 

 deal arrived shrivelled up and broken into small particles (evidently gathered before quite ripe) which is 

 very objectionable for manufacturing purposes. We bought needs last year in London at l^d., 2d., 2^d , 3d. 

 4d and 6d. per lb., and those at 6d. were much the cheapest for our purpose, since the labour and expense 

 with bad seed is just the same as with the best quality. 



" The supply of seeds on the London market always has been very intermittent, so that we cannot rely 

 upon a constant and regular supply every season, and last year we ordered two tons of some Kingston Mer- 

 chants which they could not supply. We are, therefore, decidedly of opinion that good sound, hard, whole 

 Annatto seed, properly collected and dried, free from mould, would meet with a ready sale in this country at 

 such a price as would pay the growers well. If, however, they would only prepare the Annatto in the same 

 ■way as they do in Cayenne, by washing the colouring matter off the freshly gathered seeds, and send it over 

 here in cakes or in a semi-fluid form, it would be better. We are quite sure that it would p.iy them well to do 

 bo, as it would fetch a very much higher price than the Guadeloupe kind realises, and we should be securing 

 an industry for our own Colonies that is now entirely in the hands of the French. This is the reason why 

 nearly all the Flag Annatto is sent to France, to encourage their own shipping, and the French Merchants 

 make a good profit out of it before it reaches us. If, therefore, it answers the French Colonists' purpose to 

 prepare the Flag Annatto and export it to France, surely it would pay the growers of Jamaica and Ceylon to 

 <!o likewise and export it direct to us ; they would then get a better price for it than the Cayenne growers 

 do. because they would save the intermediate profits of the Merchants in Cayenne and France. They ou^ht 

 to be able to prepare the Flag Annatto in Jamaica and Ceylon quite as well and as cheaply as the natives do 

 in Cayenne ; but it would not do for us to attempt it in this country from inqiorted seed, because there is 

 first the cost of freightage over here, and labour is too dear to attempt to compete with the natives of 

 t ayenne in washing the colouring matter off the seeds. You will therefore, understand that we can buy the 

 Flag or Paste Annatto very much cheaper than it would be possible for us to prepare it ourselves in this 

 Country. Annatto seeds of best quality will consequently never fetch more than about 5*d. or 6d. per lb., be- 

 cause of the competition with the Flag Annatto. Lisbon Poll Annatto is another kind that comes from Para - 

 it is m a paste packed in baskets weighing about f cwt. each. Jt is wrapped up in dried leaves, and is prin- 

 cipally used for colouring butter, being of no use whatever for colouring cheese; this also varies very consi- 

 derably in quality. We bought it last year from 2d. to Is. 9d. per lb. according to quality. 



" It has long been evident to us that sufficient care is not taken in washing the colouring matter off the 

 geeds, and in preparing the Flag Annatto for the market we often find that it is very much adulterated with 

 farinaceous and other substances to increase the bulk, which frequently causes a large amount of trouble to 

 the manufacturer. We, in fact, seldom find two casks alike in quality or colour, and it is frequently kept 

 until fermentation and decomposition set in, which of course destroy the colour ; some that we had from the 

 Polynesian Islands consisted simply of the colouiing matter washed from the seed without admixture of any 

 foreign substance. It was in a semi-fluid state and very pure, but a little dearer than Cayenne Annatto, and 



