154 
SPICES 
CHAP. Ill 
Myristica argentea, the long nutmeg of New Guinea, 
is often imported into Singapore from the Eastern 
islands for making oil or soap, and occasionally gets 
mixed with the genuine nutmegs as an adulterant. It 
can be distinguished by its long and rather cylindric form. 
It is only faintly aromatic, and valueless as a spice. 
There are upwards of fifty kinds of wild nutmeg in 
the Malay Peninsula and adjacent islands, and of these 
hardly any have any aroma either in the seed or mace. 
The only one which is at all aromatic in the Malay 
Peninsula is the rather rare Myristica cinnamomea, 
and that is by no means strongly aromatic. 
Literature 
Warburg, in his classic work. Die Mushatnuss^ gives 
eighteen pages dealing with the literature of the nut- 
meg. A good many of the works quoted in this list 
contain mere passing notices by travellers, and others 
refer to scientific descriptions of species, or are works 
unnecessary for the planter. 
The following list of books and papers of the more 
important class, from an agriculturist’s point of view, 
may be useful. 
Warburg, 0. Die Miiskatnuss. “ Uber die niitzbaren Miiskatniisse.” 
Pliarmaceiitisclie Gesellschaft, 1892, p. 212. 
Oxley, Dr. “ Some Account of the Nutmeg.” Journal of the East Indian 
Archipelago, vol. iii. p. 642. “The Banda Nutmeg Plantations,” l.c, 
vol. i. (new series) p. 127. 
Lumsdaine. “ Cultivation of Cloves and Nutmegs in Singapore,” l.c. vol. 
V. p. 78. 
Low, Col. James. “Notes on the Progress of Nutmeg Cultivation,” Lc. 
vol. V. p. 470. Dissertation on the Soil and Agriculture of Penang, 
1836. 
Little, R. “Diseases of the Nutmeg Tree.” Journal of the East Indian 
Archipelago, vol. iii. p. 678. 
CoLLiNGWOOD, Surgeoii. “Nutmeg and other Cultivations in Singapore.” 
Journal of the Linnean Society, Botany, 1869, p. 45. 
Janse, J. M. De Nootmuskaat Cultuur in de Minahassa en op de Banda 
Eilander. 
Hooper, D. “ Fats of Indian Nutmegs.” Agricultural Ledger, 1907, No. 3. 
Holmes, E. M. “Nutmegs of Commerce.” Pharmaceutical Journal, 
March 27, 1909, p. 419. 
