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LAUREL. 
ing-sticks, which, when fresh, are of a lively green, 
resembling holly ; but after some time the bark be- 
comes shrivelled, and they have very much the ap- 
pearance of hazel sticks. They still, however, retain 
the taste and smell of cinnamon. The bark of these 
shoots is extremely valuable, and the practice of 
cutting them when young for sticks has been found 
to prove so materially injurious, that it has been 
totally prohibited since the island came into our 
possession. 
Before the Dutch were in possession of Ceylon, 
the cinnamon grew entirely in a wild state, and it 
was then supposed that cultivation would prove in- 
jurious to the plant, by causing it to degenerate : 
this, however, was not found to be the case, and the 
cultivated cinnamon is now acknowledged to be in 
every respect equal to the wild. The plantations 
not only yield a spice of equal quality with the 
wild, but are infinitely more commodious for the 
people employed in barking, from the trees being 
regularly placed in rows, instead of being scattered 
through intricate and pathless woods. 
The manner of barking and preparing the cin- 
namon for exportation is thus described by Mr. 
Percival : “ There are two different seasons in which 
cinnamon is barked. The greater quantity is pre- 
pared during what is called the grand harvest , 
which lasts from April to August. The little har- 
vest continues for little more than a month, from 
November to January. The barking is, however, 
by no means restricted to these particular seasons ; 
