SOME ACCOUNT OP THE NUTMEG AND ITS CULTIVATION. 043 
gapdre, is said to have been the spot where it was truly indigenous, 
but no doubt the tree is to be found on most of the Moluccas. At pre¬ 
sent the place of its origin is unproductive of the spice, having been 
robbed of its rich heritage by the policy of the Dutch, who at an 
early period removed the plantations to the Banda Isles, for better 
surveillance, where they still remain and flourish. But although care 
was formerly taken to extirpate the tree on the Moluccas, the mace 
feeding Pigeons have frustrated the machinations of man, and spread 
it widely through the Archipelago of islands extending from the 
Moluccas to New Guinea. Its circle of growth extends westward as 
far as Penang, where, although an exotic, it has been cultivated as a 
mercantile speculation for many years with success, so much so that 
doubtless the Penang Planters think themselves more in a situation 
to give than receive advice. I shall therefore beg any of those mag¬ 
nates who may chance to cast an eye on this paper, to bear in mind 
that what they read is more peculiarly applicable to Singapore than 
any other locality, and that moreover the plans laid down have suc¬ 
ceeded here. Westward of Penang, there are no plantations, looking 
at the subject in a mercantile point of view. The tree is to he found, 
indeed, in Ceylon and the West Coast of India, but to grow it as a 
speculation out of its indigenous limits, is as likely to prove success¬ 
ful as the cultivation of apples and pears in Bengal, 
In the Banda Isles, where the tree may he considered as indige¬ 
nous, no farther attention is paid to its cultivation than setting out 
the plants in parks under the shade of large forest trees with hori¬ 
zontal branches, called “ Canari"’ by the natives. Here it attains a 
height of fifty feet and upwards, whereas from 20 to 30 feet may be 
taken as a fair average of Straits trees ; but notwithstanding our pig¬ 
my proportions, it does not appear from all I could ever learn, that 
we are relatively behind the Banda trees either in quantity oi quali¬ 
ty of produce, and I am strongly impressed with the idea that the 
Island of Singapore can compete with the Banda group on perfect¬ 
ly even terms. Our climate is quite unexceptionable for the growth 
of the nutmeg, being neither exposed to droughts or high winds ; and 
although we may lose by comparison of soils, we again gain by great¬ 
er facilities of sending our produce to market, by the ability of ob¬ 
taining abundant supplies of manure, and any amount of free and 
cheap labour. 
I shall now endeavour to lead the Planter step by step on bis 
weary way, but just to cheer him a little, he may have the assurance 
