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The Supplement to the Tropical Agriculturist 



than 35°F. How much higher than 6,500 feet 

 these trees would grow it is difficult to state, 

 but there is no reason to believe that the tem- 

 perature would be too low for a proper growth 

 of the eucalypts at elevations as high as 7,000 or 

 8,500 feet, since the thermometer rarely drops 

 below 32°F. 



The temperature and moisture conditions 

 most favourable to the growth of Eucalyptus in 

 Hawii are an abundant rainfall, say between 

 50 and 100 inches per year, and a rainy season 

 alternating with plenty of strong, warm, sun- 

 shine. Prolonged rain suddenly followed by in- 

 tense sunshine and heat is injurious, especially 

 to seedlings, 



The eucalypts are intolerant of shade, and re- 

 quire plenty of light for their proper develop- 

 ment. When given too much light, however, the 

 eucalypts will branch out immoderately and will 

 then not be of much value as a timber tree. The 

 trees in their seedling stage can endure more 

 shade than the older trees, and the very young 

 seedlings require a certain amount of shade for 

 their growth. When all are planted at the same 

 time, the eucalypts can grow in dense stands 

 and the trees will then form straight, cylindri- 

 cal trunks. They will not grow, however, plan- 

 ted in the 6hade of other trees. 



Most of the eucalypts have well developed root 

 systems, and as a rule are not easily thrown 

 down by ordinary winds, and a few species can 

 therefore thrive in windy situations. The trees 

 seem to suffer more by constant than by unusu- 

 ally strong winds, and the ordinary trade wind 

 in an exposed situation will be more harmful 

 than an occasional kona storm. The foliage of 

 blue gum (E. globutus) and of red gum (E. ros- 

 trata) is particularly sensitive to strong winds. 

 Sugar gum (E. corynocalvx) and peppermint gum 

 {amygdalina) can stand much wind, though the 

 trees will often lean to leeward and are then 

 unfit for straight timber. The swamp mahogany 

 (E. robusta) is generally considered sensitive to 

 strong winds in California, but in Hawaii it is 

 found to grow straight and of good form even in 

 the most exposed situations. 



The eucalypts, as a rule, prefer a very moist 

 soil and respond readily to irrigation in dry situ- 

 ations. Swampy land, however, is not favourable 

 to good growth, especially if the roots of the 

 trees are constantly flooded. The red gum (E. 

 rostrata) is probably the least exacting in the 

 respect, and will thrive in wet swamps. Swamp 

 mahogany (E. robusta), blue gum (_E. globulus), 

 and the bastard mahogany (E. botryoides) will 

 also endure excessive moisture. The sugar gum 

 (12. corynocaLyx), on the other hand, is the most 

 intolerant in this respect. 



Unlike agricultural crops, trees are not fasti- 

 dious as to the quality of the soil on which they 

 grow. There is hardly a soil so poor as not to be 

 able to support some tree growth. The chemical 

 composition of the soil is of little importance, 

 provided its physical composition is favourable. 

 The physical composition of the soil is impor- 

 tant because it determines to a large extent 

 the amount of available soil moisture. A deep, 

 loose, moderately tiue grained, sandy loam, is 

 the best for most species of eucalypts, as it is 

 for almost all other forest trees, — West Indies 

 Agricutural News, Oct. 14. 



THE CULTIVATION OF THE NUTMEG. 



During the earliest period in the history of 

 its commerce, the nutmeg, a native of the 

 wilds of the Moluccas, pandered for years to 

 the greed of the Dutch. For. perceiving the 

 fact that in the world, as then known, it grew 

 only in the evergreen forests of the " Spice 

 Islands," not only was its cultivation prohi- 

 bited by them but quantities of the nuts were 

 actually burnt to keep up prices when they 

 declined. Thus, for years, the outside world 

 was held in the veriest bondage of trade by the 

 Dutch— the most intrepid and venturesome 

 maritime nation and the greatest fetchers and 

 carriers of the time. Nemesis, however, over- 

 took them in the shape of the great blue wild 

 pigeon which, swallowing the nut in its red 

 aril, digested the mace and cast the seed on 

 land and sea beyond its home. This interest- 

 ing fact in the distribution of the nutmeg 

 coming, in time, to be generally known, its 

 cultivation was, in spite of the Dutch, intro- 

 duced into all or most of the countries lying 

 about the balmy spice groves. Thence it en- 

 tered the gardens of the Straits and through 

 them has spread both far and wide, —in fact, 

 throughout the tropics of the world. But the 

 most productive regions of its cultivation 

 continue to be near its home ; for, though 

 plantations of it flourish in the West Indies its 

 greatest yield is still in the East, — the Malay 

 Peninsula, island of Ceylon, and the silt-laden 

 banks of the rivers of the West Coast. In these 

 it is that the nutmeg tree — that graceful fra- 

 grant child of the sun— piercing the umbrage 

 of its associates with its pert and shapely 

 pointed crown, bears, amidst its dark green 

 foliage, its golden pear shaped fruits in 

 abundance. Maturing in the seventh month 

 from the fading of the flower, the fruit splits 

 open into two fleshy halves and discloses the 

 glossy black shell of the seed enclosed in a net 

 of the scarlet mace. This seed or nut, whole 

 or shelled, is the nutmeg which, for centuries 

 past, has always met the demand of the world 

 for a mild, engrossing, and wholesome spice, 

 Of all the famous spices of the East, it is not 

 only this but even more — its tine and essential 

 aromatic oils, whilst being the least aggressively 

 pungent are also the most agreeably flavoured 

 and gratefully fragrant obtained from a spice. 



The nutmeg is a dioecious tree, i.e., the male 

 flowers, which are distinct from the female, are 

 borne u n separate individuals. These cannot, 

 as a rule, be distinguished from those that 

 bear the female flowers until both male and 

 female tree6 begin to blossom, in or about the 

 seventh year from planting. The tree is in leaf 

 throughout the year and delights to live in 

 the midst of other shady evergreen trees like 

 itself. For its successful cultivation, it de- 

 mands shade, at least for the first five-years of 

 its life, a climate with a rainfall of at least 60 

 inches, and a well drained rich alluvial loam 

 or virgin forest land for soil. It also prefers a 

 low lying situation and needs protection from 

 strong and drying winds. Protection from 

 wind is an essential factor for its successful 



