57° 
fHF Tf^OPlCAL AGRICULTURIST. 
[February i, iSo». 
fourths grown tho mischief is already effected and 
cannot easily be remedied, but even should tbe tree 
not norish, tho crop will scarcely be worth the ga- 
thering so inferior will bo the quality and the tree 
uSle* to perfect its fruit, which splits ere tho iiiaoe 
Ts rod and while the nut is soft and good for nolhiinj. 
Unhacpilv some trees havo a habit of splitting their 
fru\t untimely although their general 
indicates streiigth and vigor. Ihis is " 'or 
llhicli as yet flinow of no remedy ; I attribute it 
to an origiLl fault in the seed, and if this be correct 
T foar it adniitB of none. , i , 
^ The planter having his tree arrived at the agreeable 
point of producing, has but slight trouble in pre- 
mr"ng hfs produce tor market. As the fruit is 
roueht in by tlie gatherers, the mace is carefully 
rSved, preLed together and flattened on a board, 
ewaed to^^the sun for three or four days, rt is then 
drrenough to be put by in the spice house iinti 
reouired W erportatiop, when it is to bo screwed 
into boxes and Lionies the mace of comniorco, The 
nXiTitself requires more care in its curing, it 
nutiiiog i 1 carefully dried 
OT^flie outer b^ock shell bo broken For this jnirposo 
the usual practice is to subject it for a coitplo of 
months to the smoke of alow (ires kept up underneath, 
whilst tho lints are spread on a grating alioiit eight 
toet above I mvsolf prefer ono raised fully 10 feet, 
hut tho model of a perfect drying hoitso is easily 
obtained, and tho process is too well known to nsjmro 
any further oxphuiation. The only cantion 1 would 
g vo is that planters ought to take care and not dry 
tlmir nuts liy too great a lieat as they sliriycl and 
lose ttieir full and marketable aiipearanco ; for tins 
nTtooso I think it dosirablo to keep the nuts wlioii 
^rsTooUocted, for eight or ten days out of tlie drying 
house exposing them at first to an hour or so of 
moridng snn, and increasing tho exposure daily until 
toov slfake in tho shell •, tiio nuts ought never to he 
cracked until required tor exportation or they wull 
hl attackod and destroyed by a sniaU woovel-hl e 
be attacKou . ^gpogited m tho ovule 
insect, insect, cats its way out, 
reaving“the nut Imrad through and through and 
wortlitoss as a marketable commodity. liiiiimg the 
nuts prevents this to a certain extent, hut bmo^ 
nuts are not those best liked in theEnghsli market, 
1 £,vona they are preferred in that state in the 
UnHed Stalel When tho nuts are to ho limoditis 
aimplv necessary to havo them well rubbed over 
hetwebn the hands with powdered lime. I am given 
oetwccii . Rteeped in a mixture of 
to ««‘1e™‘‘'"t,^'foVsevPral woeks'^liy the Dutch mode 
lime and water wifi preserve them, 
of preparation. prejudicial effect 
but ’ ,j,ioe After the nuts are tliorouglily 
which it . , .. • juortfl red; now ted bhidefl 
^'^Um 'upr w th suborn a™ liighly 
are looked "F" article. This la one of 
injurious to ®. jojm Bull which soiiio- 
‘\°at Tmongns ’his wisdom, but it must be attended 
what "K". ready to pay for his caprice ; 
[Sorrfore thos^ Xo%r?viL for” h^iin have no right 
"HeM^JIdent Councilior 
deuce and ^atisticsw^^^^ Singapore the latter 
was sent «oni twenty-nine years have elapsed 
end of 1819, . u jction. Some of tlio jilants alluded 
since _ j Raffles' letter wore set out at tho 
to in Sir neither a had soil nor 
foot of of them are at present and havo 
locality, and several fruitfiil trees, 
been for the las ^ y trees in this garden 
leL' toll 42fi nnt's or at the average of (illl for 
yieldodlast year ,10,4^ bearing trees niem.ioned in tlie 
each tree, bnt 01 tne .ii.i uciui 15 aim-k moBt Imv- 
■jabro not over lifty arc of tlio old stock, most liav 
ing been planted since 1836, so that a Planter may 
safely calculate on having a better average than is 
here set forth, provided he attends to his cultivation 
and Ills trees arc brought up to the ago of 1,6 years. 
If a plantation be attended to from the commoncB- 
niont, after the manner I have endeavomed to ex- 
plain, and the trees ho in a good locality, tlio Planter 
will undoubtedly obtain an average of 10 Ih. of 
spice from each tree from the 15tli year. This at 
an average price of 28. Bd. per lb. is 25 shillings per 
annum. He can have about 70 such trees in an acre, 
so that there is scarcely any better or more remuner- 
ative cultivation when once established, but the race 
is a long one, the chances of life, a high rate of interest 
in tills country make it ono of no ordinary risk, and 
it is one that holds out no prospect of any return 
ill less than 10 years. A person commencing and 
stopping short of the bearing point eitlier by death 
or want of fnnds will suffer almost total loss, for 
the value of such a piioperty brought into a market 
whore there arc no buvors must be merely nominal. 
.Again if the prnjiorty lias ariivod at the paying point, 
almost any person of common honesty can take 
charge of and carry it on, for the trees after 12 
years are romarkably hardy and bear a deal of ill 
treatment and neglect ; not that I would reeomiiiend 
any person to try tho e.xporinient, but it is some 
consolation for tho Proprietor to know tliat stupidity 
will not ruin liim, and that even at tho distance of 
tlionsands of miles ho can give such directions as, 
if attondod to, will keep his estate in a floiirisliiiig and 
fruitful state. 
I have now set tho pros and cons of nutmeg cul- 
tivation before tlio reader. Should ho like to try 
the experiment there is ample scope and vorjj'o 
enough for liim in Singapore, llonocdnotbe afraid 
of failure if he proceeds with energy and persever- 
ance. The cultivation, as will lie seen Iw the ap- 
pemlod tables, is rapidly extending, and I fear tho 
prices are falling. Should the Molnccas ho throivn 
open T cannot answer for how much ^eater may 
he the depreciation in value, hut a prodiico that re- 
quires 1.5 years to liring it to market ill remuner- 
ative abundance is not so easily overdone. The tree 
is not more quickly productive in the Island of 
Banda tlian in the Straits, and, as I have before 
said, neither do they excel us in relative quantity 
or quality. Those wtio have estahlislied plantations 
may laugh at the huglioar of over production and rest 
content even with some further reduction in prices. 
Tlio consnmiition is increasing and likely to increase 
in the Unitod States, and no doubt were the heavy 
duty exacted in England lightened, tho consiiiiiption 
would also increase in Great Britain. At present the 
duty is above the value of the article, which is 
anything but encouragment to our eastern colonies, 
and is hardly fair considering that the differential 
duties have been done away with and tliat we have 
to compoto on equal terms with our monopolizing 
iieighhours tho Dutch, who take very good caro to 
niako no rooiprocation in favor of British commerce. 
To Major F’AiiquHAii, 
Resident and Commandant, flingapore_ 
Sir, — Enclosed, I transmit a list of Nutmeg and 
Glove Plants this day shipped on the “ Indiana " for 
100 Nutmeg Plants, in .3 boxes 
100 Clove do. in 3 do. 
1000 Niitmog seeds, half of them 
in a doiiblo row. 
3.50 Glove ditto. 
25 Large Nutmeg plants and 
the same innuber of Gloves. J 
Singapore, and put 
under the iimnediate 
cliorgo of Mr Dunn, 
who is proceeding 
thitlier on the s.amo 
ship. 
Yon will he jileiiscd 
to report tho condition in whicli tliese Plants are 
received, and to exert your utmost endeavours to 
ostalilish tho cultivation under your immediato 
iiutiiority. 
I have <S:o., 
(Sd.) T. S. Rapfi-es. 
Fort Marlbro’ , ISth Auffust, 18111. 
To tho Ilon’Iilo Sir Stamfoku Raffi.es, Kt., 
Lient. -Governor, ^-c. ^c.. Fort MarJtn'o’ . 
Ilon’blo Sir, — I havo tho honor to acknowledge the 
receipt of your letter dated tho 18th August covering 
