150 
FIRST BOOK. 
2. They have then to be scraped with a " ginger- 
knife", which is made for the purpose. This has 
a very thin and narrow blade so that it can pass 
between the " toes", as the branching pieces are 
called. Great care is taken not to break off the 
^Hoes", as the ginger would not then sell for a 
good price. 
3. When the dark outer skin is all scraped off, 
the ginger is thrown into a bowl of clean water 
and well washed. Afterwards it has to be dried 
in the sun for six or eight days. 
4. When once the drying has begun the ginger 
must not get wet again, or it will mildew, and 
spoil. It is therefore taken in every evening and 
spread out again next morning, and in the middle 
of the day the pieces are all turned over, that 
every part may get its share of the sun's heat. 
5. In this way it is made quite dry and hard, 
and ready to be packed in bags or barrels for the 
market. 
6. Ginger that is thus prepared is called white" 
or " scraped" ginger. When dry and hard, ginger 
is used as a spice, but it is also very often eaten 
as a preserve. 
7. To make preserved ginger the tubers or 
hands are used when young, and when their 
shoots are not more than 5 or 6 inches high. As 
the tubers grow older they become woody or 
