Dec. 1, 1903.] Swpplement to the " Ti'opical AgricuUumt." 
441 
Mr. Fursden said that the plan was good, and 
if followed up would diminish the tick plague. 
But how were they going to compel everybody 
to follow the plan and do likewise ? 
Mr. Olivier said the only thing they could do 
was to make the method of destroying the ticks 
as widely known as possible. No legislation was 
needed. Anybody, whose cattle had ticks should 
simply pick them off and destroy them. He 
moved that Mr. Marescaux's letter be printed in 
the Journal along with the opinions of the 
members. 
This was agreed to. 
THE CURING OF CARDAMOMS IN INDIA. 
So much has been written about the future of 
the Cardamom, that it is interesting to find an 
account of the preparation of Cardamoms for the 
market in India. The following is a description 
given in a paper on Cardamom Cultivation in the 
Bombay Presidency by Mr. J. W. Mollison, head 
of the Indian Agricultural Department. [It is 
stated that the character of the water used 
has a material influence on the capsules, the 
water of some wells having special virtues for 
bleaching and improving the flavour of the Carda- 
moms.] 
"Water from the well is drawn and taken to 
a suitable room. A large earthernware vessel is 
ftlled with the water, into which pounded antalkai 
(the fruit of soap-nut, Sapindus trifoliatus) aud 
sikikai (^Acacia concinna) in the proportion of 
2 lbs. of the former to ^ lb. of the latter for about 
5 gallons of the water are placed and well stirred. 
Another vessel contains a strong solutiou of com- 
mon soap in the water of the well. The mixture 
containing 2 lbs. of pounded soap-nut and ^ lb. of 
sikikai suffices for 5 maunds (1 maund = 26 lbs.) 
of cardamoms. 
"Two women seated on tripods place a wide- 
mouthed earthenware vessel between them, the 
washing tub as it may be styled. Eight lota-taWa 
of the well water (a large supply of which is 
kept at hand) are poured into the tub and three 
lota-fuUs of the soap-nut or sikikai mixture. The 
lota holds about one quart of water. 
"The tub then receives a basketful of carda- 
moms weighing 10 lbs. The two women plunge 
their hands into the tub and stir vigorously for 
about one minute and then suddenly rest for about 
the same length of time, and again stir for another 
minute. A thick lather results, This completes the 
first washing. The cardamoms are baled out by 
hand and transferred to a basket, where they 
remain a few seconds till the water has drained 
off. The basketful is received by two other 
women sitting on tripods with a washing tub 
between them. This tub contains 7 quarts of the 
pure water, 1 quart of the soap-nut and sikikai 
mixture, and one of the soap solution. The carda- 
moms are stirred as in the first washing with the 
same interval of rest and are baled out into an- 
other basket. When the water is draiued off, 
the washed cardamoms are thrown on to a mat. 
The heap becomes large after a few hours' work, 
A woman is exclusively in charge of it and con- 
tinually sprinkles the well water over it. She is 
relieved at night by another woman, who sprinkles 
the heap till morning once every half hour. 
" Next day when the sun has risen, the heap 
is carried to the flat roof of the house, and the 
cardamoms are spread on mats for four or five 
hours to dry. The next operation is to nip off the 
short stalks. This is done by women sitting in 
the house. Each woman has a large pair of 
English scissors. She squats on the floor and 
rests her right hand which holds the scissors on 
the floor and feeds the scissors with her left 
hand, The pace at which this nipping is done 
astonished me. The stalk is very small, and care 
must be taken to cut it off without injury to the 
cardamom itself. I saw an old woman nip 90 
cardamoms in one minute. 
"This done the sorting begins. The small 
ill-shapen cardamoms are separated and only the 
well-rounded ones packed for export to distant 
markets. A woman sorts a maund per diem. 
"I must now return to the first washing. The 
mixture in the tub, after the first basketful 
has been baled out, is replenished by two or 
three quarts of the well water and a second basket- 
full washed. The tub is then emptied and a fresh 
mixture made. The mixture for the second wash- 
ing also does duty for two basketful?. The wo- 
men who wash the cardamoms are paid 3 annas 
per diem. An ordinary wage is 1^ to 2 annas. 
The night-watcher receives 4 annas. The nipping 
is paid for by the piece at the rate of ^ anna 
per padi (10 padis -— 1 maund = 26 lbs.). It is 
said that an expert can eaai 2^ annas per diem. 
She must clip 13 lbs. therefore ; all other hands 
employed are paid by the day at 2 annas. 
"' Besides this bleaching now-a-days cardamoms 
are starched. Starching was first introduced at 
Sirsi where bleachers had recourse to it, as they 
had to compete with bleachers at Haveri, who 
were experts in the art of bleaching, and who 
had establishd their fame as such. The starched 
cardamoms look whiter than the ordinary bleached 
cardamoms of Ildveri, and the bleachers of Haveri 
have therefore now taken to starching. The 
starch is prepared by pouudiug together rice, 
wheat, and country soap with buttermilk. The 
paste is dissolved in a sufficient quantity of water 
and the solution is sprinkled over the cardamoms 
to be starched as they are being rubbed by the 
hand." 
GENERAL ITEMS, 
The West Indian Bulletin recommends Jeyes 
disinfectant for screw worm in young calves. 
It should be supplied with a little brush which 
could be got within the orifice of any sore. The 
best plan is to dress the calves as soon as they are 
born, to keep off the flies and anticipate the evil. 
If already attacked, the worm should be killed 
with Jeyes' fluid, the wound washed with soap 
and water, and a second application of the fluid 
given. 
The Journal of the Society of Arts recommends 
the sweet potato as a suitable substitute for the 
