October i, 1887. j THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
*59 
HINTS ON ANNATTO CULTURE. 
Tho export of dried anuatto seeds from Ceylon 
and the West Iudies, principally Jamaica, has 
lately assumed such proportions that the value has 
fallen to a level which can scarcely render the 
gathering of tho seed remunerative. But concurrently 
with tho low value and superabundant supply of 
scud there exists a steady if not a large demand 
for liraziliau, or so-called I'ar.l roll anuatto, which 
is worth, if good, about Is. fid. per lb. in tirst hand. 
The supply of the latter variety, as of many articles 
for which wo depend upon the natives of the 
Aruoricau tropics, is subject to frequent interrup- 
tions, and it sometimes occurs that no Brazilian an- 
natto U obtainable for considerable periods. 
Kxcluding Brazilian anuatto there are two im- 
portant sources from which the article is drawn, 
viz., the French West Indian settlements and the 
British East and West Indies. French Indian anuatto 
is usually shipped to Bordeaux aud Havre, and 
distributed thence over Europe, while the British 
Colonies mostly ship their produce to England aud 
to the United States. 
In French Guayana, or Cayenne, as it is commonly 
called, and the French West Indian island of 
Guadeloupe, the culture aud preparatiou of aunatto 
forms a recognised branch of industry, to which 
much attention is paid, and which is an important 
source of revenue to its promoters. It is stated 
that 011 Guadeloupe alone there are no less than 
forty-eight anuatto plantations, coveriug an area of 
528 hectares, and employing 1,044 labourers. The 
yield is a somewhat uncertain one, but the industry 
is apparently increasing ; for while in 1870 — 379,400 
kilos, were exported, the shipments for 1883 shun 
a total of no less than 700,500 kilos. In Cayenne 
the annatto plantations are said to number no 
fewer thau 5(13, covering 1,783 hectares, and yield- 
ing about 450,000 kilos prepared anuatto annually. 
Notwithstanding complaints which have often been 
made about tho adulteration to which French aunatto is 
subjected , that variety appears to command a fairly 
steady sale. A common way of preparing it is said to 
be as follows : — The seeds, when taken from the pod 
are covered with hot water and thoroughly stirred, 
in order to separate the red colouring material — 
which forms the only really valuable portion — from 
tho white core of the seed. After some days the 
mixture is passed through a sieve, which retains the 
now valueless seeds. It is then subjected to ferment- 
ation for another week, evaporated to a serai-liquid 
condition, and moulded in squaro cakes. These cakes, 
which are brown externally and reddish or yellowish 
inside, are dried in the shade and sent to the 
market, packed in banana leaves. The American 
Indians have a way of separating the colouring 
matter from the seeds by rubbing the latter be- 
tween their oiled hands, aud anuatto thus obtained 
is niueh esteemed by artists as a colouring material, 
although it is rarely met with on tho European 
markets, the Indians preparing it rather for decor- 
ating their own bodies than for commercial purposes. 
Id Guadeloupe, we understand, an improved process 
of preparing anuatto has been found to answer well. 
It consists simply in soaking the seed in cold instead 
of in hot water, passiDg tho mixture through a 
sieve nml drying it in the shade, without recourse 
t« artificial heat. When evaporated to dryness, the 
residue is ground in a spice-mill. The auuatto 
manufactured by this treatment is said to be five 
times ns rich in colouriug matter as that made by 
the hot-water process. The Brazilian annatto, which 
is chiefly brought into commerce by wny of Para, 
is mostly prepared by Indians in the Amazon valley ; 
but although tho tree, or rather shrub, Is very 
plentiful around the Indian villages, and produces 
truit almost all tho year round, tho indolent habits 
of tho natives render a regular supply almost out of 
tho qtiettfoD, In Jamaiw, 8ft I. m:ia, ami other British 
possession! in the West Indies the aunatto plant 
Houri»hi s luxuriantly up to nn altitude of two 
thou.-Ju i luut ; but although it has boon partly 
propagated by cultivation, there do not appear to 
be in the British Colonies any regular plantations 
of the shrub, and in order to encourage the indus r , 
a recent Kew Bulletin has been devoted to the 
subject. Anuatto is exported from the British 
possessions mainly in the form of cured seeds, of 
which Jamaica shipped 360,284 lb. iu 18SG. ' Dr. 
Macfadyen in his work on " The Flora of Jamaica" 
gives the following account of the method formerly 
used there: — 
" Annatto is collected by pouring boiling water on 
the seeds in any convenient vessel. After stirring 
the wholo, tho water, with the farina suspended 
in it, is poured off, and this is repeated till only 
the naked seeds are left. The water, after some 
time, is finally poured off, leaving the annatto, 
which has settled at the bottom. The addition ot' 
an acid is said to hasten the process. The sediment 
is afterwards placed in shallow vessels and dried by 
evaporation in the shade. When it has acquired a 
proper consistence it is made iuto cakes or balls, 
and after beiug thoroughly dried is iu a fit state to 
be sent to market. " 
From this description it will bo seen that tho 
usual method of preparing anuatto has been sub- 
stantially the same in all parts of the West Iudies, 
and tho circumstance that recently the unprepared 
seeds have been exported from the British Colonies 
to such a large extent is probably due to the fhet 
that prepared annatto, when imported into the 
United States, the principal customer for tho article, 
pays a heavy duty, whereas the soeds, being classi- 
fied as raw material, are free. Considering, how- 
ever, tho enormous difference in price between the 
seeds and well-prepared roll or paste, there can be 
little doubt that a practical system of annatto pre- 
paration might eventually become a not inconsiderabio, 
though necesssarily a minor source of revenue to 
the colonial planter. The most rational process of 
extracting and prepariug aunatto, and the one which 
it would probably best pay planters to adopt seems 
to be that of Leblond. It consists of simply wash- 
ing the seeds until they are entirely deprived of 
their colouring matter, to precipitate the latter by 
means of vinegar or lemon-juice, to boil it up iu 
the ordinary manner, and to drain it in bags, as 
is done with indigo. Dyers who have used annatto 
prepared by Eeblond's process state that its colouring 
power is at least four times in excess of that of 
ordinary commercial annatto, that it is required less 
solvent, gave less trouble in the copper, aud furnished 
sopurer colour. 
In Ceylon annatto is now very lirgely grown. 
It is supposed that the plant, which is undoubtedly 
of American origin, was introduced into the island 
by the Dutch colonists, who have also acclim&tifei d 
it in Java whence shipments are no.v frequently for- 
warded to Kurope. Iu Ceylon the annatto plant is 
grown up to an altitude of 3,000 feet, but it flourishes 
best in low-lying districts. Moist, worm situations, 
with an average temperature of 75- to 80* F. 
appear to suit it best, and an abundant rainfall 
is a sine qua mm for its success. The plant can 
be easily propagated from tho seed, which should 
be cleansed from its colouring material by means of 
tepid water, and dried in the shade. The seed may 
be placed iu beds at distances of about four inch) s, 
and covered \ inch deep with earth. The Sowings 
may be protected by covering them with banaua 
leaves, and should be kept moist. When the plants 
have attained a height of about \\ or 8 inehrs they 
may bo transplanted, during the rainy »eason, at 
distances of from l'» to 2(> feet apart The plants 
usually commeure to yield fruit in tin- third year 
of their growth. Cattle, hordes, or goats do not 
eat tho leaves, so that billy pasturo Inn. Is may with 
advantage be selected for uunatto-plantiiv 
Iu a recent report on aunatto by llio I nite I 
States Consul at I'.ir.i, it is stated I lint the plants 
should be grown in full nunshine, but this ricn do 
not tally with that of other authorities who i i 
that tho plaut grows best in shaded places. The < • 
