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shelter at night to prevent wetting by dew. This 
operation is repeated for about seven days, or until 
dry. Drying with artificial heat is often practised 
with satisfactory results. 
Yields . — In this country t a single tree will, produce 
about five lbs. of cloves in a season, which, allowing 
100 trees per acre, gives a yield of about 500 lbs. 
of dry cloves per acre. Higher returns up to about 
ten lbs. per tree can be expected on the best types 
of land. The best cloves are large and plump, 
only slightly wrinkled and of a light purplish brown 
colour with a purplish bloom. If dried too rapidly, 
they become black. 
Clove Oil . — A large quantity of cloves is consumed 
in the manufacture of clove oil, the inferior qualities 
being mostly used for this purpose. The ground 
cloves are distilled in steam to obtain the essential 
oil, which amounts to from 15 to 18 per cent. Clove 
oil is rich in eugenol, from which synthetic vanillin, 
similar to the active principle of vanilla, is produced. 
The flower-stalks, separated from the cloves during 
drying, are sometimes dried and distilled. They 
contain about 5 to 6 per cent, of oil and usually 
fetch from 3d. to 6d. per lb. for distillation purposes. 
Uses . — Cloves are used primarily as a spice, the 
first grades being in special demand for this purpose. 
They are also used to a small extent by natives as 
a masticatory, being mixed with betel-nut and sireh 
leaf. 
Clove oil is used principally in perfumery as well 
as in medicine and microscopy; alcoholic extracts 
of clove oil are used for flavouring confectionery 
and liqueurs. 
