354 
SPICES 
CHAP. 
scissors. The women in India squat on the floor, and, 
resting the right elbow on the ground, feed the scissors 
with the left hand. The stalk is very small, and requires 
some care and practice not to cut the fruit itself. These 
women work very fast, and Mr. Ozanne, who describes 
it, saw an old woman clip 90 cardamoms a minute. 
These women are paid at the rate of ^ anna for the 
clipping of 1 padi (10 padis are 26 lbs.). Some can even 
earn 2^ annas a day, and therefore must clip 13 lbs. a 
day. 
In Ceylon the coolies cannot clip more than 3 lbs. a 
day, but this includes picking out broken and brown 
capsules as well. 
SORTING 
The crop is sorted, when dry, into split and entire 
capsules, and the entire capsules are sorted according to 
colour ; the perfectly cured ones, of a straw colour ; those 
which are discoloured with a brownish tinge or stained 
on one side ; and those which are nearly black, due 
usually to gathering and curing in unfavourable weather. 
Cardamoms are valued not only according to their 
colour, but according to their plumpness and heaviness, 
and the sound and mature conditions of their seeds. 
Good samples afford about three-fourths of their weight 
of seeds. Thus 200 lbs. shelled at various times during 
ten years afforded 154|^ lbs. of seed. (Messrs. Allen and 
Han!)ury, in All about Cardamoms, by A. M. and J. 
Ferguson.) 
There are several forms of the capsule known in 
commerce ; of the Indian forms there are two classes, 
according to size, the ovoid or nearly globular, | to f in. 
long, termed shorts, and those of a more elongated form 
tV TO loiigj called short longs. 
They are also distinguished by the names of localities, 
Malabar, etc. ; the most valued occur as shorts and short 
longs. They are most highly valued, and are shipped 
from Bombay to Europe. 
Madras are chiefly long forms [short longs), and are 
