SPICES — THE CLOVES. 



i THE CLOVE. 



There are several species of the Clove i Mr.Onwfurd 

 lias cnumcmh <l fi v&tsort* ; the ordinary — \he J>mafc 

 dove with i pale stem — the kevn&or toary clove, 

 the royal clove— and the * iltl sort The most prodiic- 

 sort in Penan- y pears to Iw one having a slightly 

 curled and small leaf. The clove tree flourishes best 

 on elm;Ued sites. On the plain here, it grows during 

 the first six or eight years with an almost supernatural 

 Vigor; the precursor" of premature decay. After the 

 u -ntls yr.iw it .AhihitH a shaggy aspect with frequently 

 a withered top. it 18 probable -that, in such a locality, 

 it will rarely survive to any useful purpose, the fifteenth 

 or twentieth year. In Rencoolen, as we Bad by Dr. 

 Lumadftine'* account, the tree decayed after the 24th 

 year. The life of a dove tree at Amboyna is suppos- 

 ed to be limited to 75 years. 



It thrives well, however, on this Island, on the undu- 

 lating grounds rtdWng the hills, and there are trees 

 thirty years old yet vigorous in such situations; but an 

 elevation of from 300 to 1000 tot above the level of 

 the sea would semi l>est adapted to it. There are ne- 

 vertheless trees about thirty years old and 2\ feet in 

 girth, on the flagstaff hill at an elevation of 2,200 feet, 

 whii h are yet lively and hear tolerable crops. In the 

 Moluccas, tin rlovetree, it issaid, thrives on soil whieh 

 is hardly fit for any other; but there it is iu mtu. It is 

 never um mred on the hills, in Penang ; but on the 

 the plain the stimulus is requisite. 



The roots of this tree should l>e allowed to spread 

 rreelv even above the surface \ nothing destroys it 

 sooner than clogging the lower part of the stem with 

 earth or allowing any water to remain soaking on the 

 upper roots and stem. 



Tapping is not here practised as at the Moluccas. 



The principal plantations here lie on undulating land 



