The Opelousas courier., 1888-03-10
ALLSPICE.
The Fragrant Product of the
Pimento Tree, o
The Work of Planting the Trees
Done by Birds.

hazard the answer thaG 1T is q mixture Of
spices IN which there are several me
gradients. Cinnamon, nutmeg, clo4-S
and car&amons arc supposed to be mio-
gled in it, the gesu!t being a favUrin9
mixture Of special nerit. It is true that
aIlspice does combine > very agreeable
pariety of iavoT9 bu5 it is a simple and
not a compound prodact. We are in
debted for it to thCtropicrl islands Of
the west; but practically all that comss
into commerce is the growth of one
island-Jamaica. A1lspice is a name
given to the powdered ber4ies Of what is
knoma Elsewhere as pinento, or ia
maica pepper. The plant yielding these
berries is a near congener of the pome-
granate and Guava, and is known to
botanists as Pimenta vulgaris. 1t Is a
handsome evergreen tree, somcthingdike
the arbutus in habit. The bright glossy
leaves have quite a spicy olor when
bruised, and recall at once the allspice
of commerce. The flowers grow in
dense clusters, almost like those of the
hawthorn, but greenish in color, Fol
lowing these, We have small, green,
aromatic berries the size of black pep
per. If allowed te ripen they become
PUPPY and lose some of 3heirpungencE.
For commercial purposes the berries are
gathered when green, carefully dried in
the sun on barbecues or platforms, and,
when we'll cured, are packed in large
bags holding about 100 to 1870 pounds,
and shipped.
Plmento-trees are natives of many
parts of tropical America, but nowhere
are they so plentiful or thrive so well as
IN Jamaica. The properties devoted to
the growth of pimcnto are called p1-
mento "walks." Several hundred of
them are dotted over the limestone
hills to the west of the island; but,
strange to say, the trees are never
actually planted, nor do they receive
any cultivation worthy of the name,
The whole industry is one in which man
does little except reap the results. But
In many years, owing to low prices, the
results are not worth reaping. Hence
the pimento-grower has often to fall
back on his tlttle and horses, raised IN
the rich pasture beneath the splce-trees.
In spite of low prices, however, the
pimento industry 3, as a whole, Of
considerable value. The grower seldom
gets more than 2 pence per pound for It
when cured. It is certainly more mild
and innocent than most other spices,
and 1t is largely used in various dishes,
so that a better time may come for the
grower.
l mentioned jusfnow that piment6
trees are never planted by the hus band
man. 1t is all the work of birds who
feed on the ripe pimento berries and
scatter the seeds over the land. The
seeds soon %germinate, ana the warm
genial rains and tropical sun do the rest.
What man does is to thin OUT the trees
where they are too thick, clear off
other trees hat interfere with the pi-
mento, and then a walk is established.
The surplus plants, taken up with good
roots, are shipped to make walking
sticks and umbrella. handles. The wood
of the pimento tree is very close in tex
ture, takes a good polish, and is Off
fine rich color. A few "male" or bar
rem trees are sometimes cut down; but
otherwise pimento wood is too valuable
to be used for commercial purposes.
The pimento picking" is a time of
great excitement and activity in a dis
trict. Troops of negroes, the women
dressed in bright colors, collect togeth-
CT. The men break off the branches
laden with green berries and pass them
to the women who, sittingjn a circle,
strip them by hand. The berries are
carried to the works atl night, piled
in a heap and left to undergo a certain
amount of fermentation before being
dried in the sun- sr,When cured they are
dull brown little balls, very light, fra
grant, aud possessing the we'll known
allspice flavor. A liquor known as 'tpi-
men9o cordial" or ''pimento dram is
made from the pimento berries this is
a specially in Jamaica country houses.
Visiting a pimento propertypvhile ''crop
is ON one would fancy that the birds as
well as the people had imbibed Gpi-
mento dram" Fiocks Of parrots and
parrakeets shoot from tree to tree
screaming di~scordantly but as Gosse re-
marked they are intelligent enough to
be as quiet as mice directly they alight
to feed on the pimento berTies. They
oare her well concealed by Ghe green
ness Of their plumage. They deserve
some share OF the profits, for to them
we owe the very existence of the pimen-
to properties. LIST. James Gazette.