Feb. 1908,] 



165 



Miscellaneous. 



this part of Jamaica was able to produce 

 an excellent quality of ginger. The 

 position thus easily attained in the 

 market has been maintained by our 

 ginger up to the present time, for it is 

 now some of the best obtainable. 



About 1840, the price of ginger from 

 Jamaica gradually rose in the London 

 market till it fetched as high as 180s. 

 per cwt. This high price resulted in a 

 great increase of the cultivation in and 

 around the district. Many who had 

 little or no experience in ginger cultiva- 

 tion planted it, prompted to do so by 

 the high price, and a great deal of very 

 inferior ginger found its way into the 

 market. A fall of prices has been the 

 result, but, even now, the finest product 

 commands good prices. 



It was the general opinion at first that 

 ginger required fresh or virgin soil in 

 order to produce the best results. The 

 consequence was that year by year valu- 

 able timber plants were cut down, and 

 large areas opened up for its cultivation. 

 During the governorsnip of Sir Henry 

 Blake, he visited this district and rode 

 over the greater portion of the devastated 

 country. He expressed the opinion that 

 all this devastation was not necessary 

 and that ginger could be successfully 

 cultivated in properly tilled and manured 

 lands. 



Acting upon this suggestion, and 

 through the advice of the Agricultural 

 Society, experiments in growing ginger 

 on manured land were commenced. 



They were a decided success, and so 

 proved the hitherto disbelieved fact 

 that ginger could be cultivated around 

 the houses of the peasantry. 



An experiment was made a few years 

 ago to grow ginger on a much larger 

 scale than had hitherto been attempted— 

 and to dry by artificial heat so as not to 

 have to depend exclusively on the heat 

 of the sun. The venture proved a suc- 

 cess at first, but it would appear that 

 just at that time the production ex- 

 ceeded the demand and the price fell. 



The present outlook is not parti- 

 cularly hopeful, for unless the culti- 

 vation of the article will yield, at least, 

 40s. per 100 lb. to the grower for the 

 best quality, the crop will become 

 shorter year by year. 



Another factor to be considered is 

 tnat bananas grow freely on the ginger 

 soil, and when it is considered how 

 much less labour a crop of bananas takes 

 than ginger, it will be seen at once that 

 the one will be, in any case, preferred to 

 the other. During the last two or three 

 years the cultivation of bananas around 

 Christiana has increased to a remark- 

 able extent, and lands are becoming 

 22 



covered with the fruit which finds such 

 a ready market in Great Britain and 

 America, it is also understood that 

 mountain-grown bananas compare 

 favourably in flavour, etc., with those 

 raised on the lowlands. 



The small crop of 1905-6 seems to be a 

 forecast of what is undoubtedly com- 

 ing, for, as the cost of cultivating and 

 curing ginger is great and laborious, 

 many, (hiding that the prices obtained 

 do not sufficiently warrant their con- 

 tinuing the cultivation, have turned 

 their attention to other and more pro- 

 mising sources of income. 



PREPARATION OP GINGER. 



It may be interesting to some of the 

 members of the Conference, who are not 

 familiar with the preparation of ginger, 

 to learn something of the method by 

 which it is prepared for the market. It 

 will be seen what a tedious process it is, 

 one involving constant care for days, 

 and dependent also on fine and bright 

 sunshine all the time. 



The plants, which are the small parts 

 of the root not fit for peeling, are put in 

 the ground from April to June of each 

 year, and these are ready for harvesting 

 from the following January to March. 

 A second crop, called the ratoon crop, is 

 reaped again in December without 

 further planting. 



Ratoon ginger is usually somewhat 

 thinner than the first crop ginger, but 

 for all practical purposes it is as good. 



There are two kinds of ginger in this 

 district, 'blue ' and' yellow.' The ' blue ' 

 was the first kind established, but gave 

 way to the 'yellow,' which, however, 

 does not seem to be preferred by 

 merchants. 



The root is dug up by the hoe, and 

 then requires to be peeled — an operation 

 which needs a skill only attained by con- 

 siderable practice. The peeling consists 

 in removing the outer skin with as little 

 of the ginger as possible. The peeling 

 of ginger is not easy, as will be seen by 

 observing the root, and a particular 

 narrow-bladed knife has to be used. To 

 peel most effectively, the knife must be 

 very sharp. 



Ginger peeling is almost entirely done 

 by women, many of whom employ their 

 children to do the easier part of the 

 work, that is, the sides of the roots. 

 Thus from a very early age, the peeler 

 is educated in the art, and during the 

 ginger season many women, attracted 

 by the work, flock into the district from 

 all parts of the parish. 



The peeling of ginger cannot be said 

 to be hard labour, but it becomes suffi- 

 ciently fatiguing for the hands if long 



