Telegram-herald., 1889-10-07
FACTS ABOUT NUTNEGS.
Where and How They Are Raised
ard Prepared for ksyx1st.
IHtsrssrlng P-rgieSl4Fs CenesrstEg ons II
Ihs ssoss Esshiy Prixed sPiess-Hss
Nature Eooles the Greedy
ssrch-ats - Banda

an address ca specs was delivered be
fore ths Grocers' Association u Boston 70
Gently by " d BeaEett. of New YORK.
from whieh the American Analyst coa-
oenses the following Interesting particulars
concerning tie nutmeg;
NGtnegs grew on small trees resembling
pear trees, cgt oown % shout twenty feet Ia
height TIE hswers are very muck Ike
these Ct the lily Of tie valley: they arc p1le
yellow aRa very fragrant TIE leaves stand
alternately ca short foot stalks; are obl0Dg,
pointed, eutire bright green and somewhat
glossy on their upper surface. whitisn be.
meath, And Of al aromatic taste. Tne fruit,
which appears Oh the tree mingled with the
flowers, Is round or oval, OF the slLe OF a
small peach, smooth, az hrst pale green. but
yellow when ripe, aud marked with lOngi-
tudinal furrcw The ertersgl covering,
which is et nrst thick ana reshy and
abOunds ia an sustere sstringert. after
ward becomes dry and leatheFy, and, sep
ar4t.ng into twO valves from the apex, dis
closes a scarlet net-liko membrane, com
monty called mace, closely invc ting q thin
brown shining shell, which cor aims the
kernel or nutmeg. The nutmeg tree Is
a native of the Molaccas aud other
neighOoring islands, and abounds espe-
cisny in that small cluster distin-
gulshed By the name Of Bands, whence
tie chief supplies OF nutmegs were
long derived But the plant IS now cult
waited in Sumatra, Java, Singapore Penang,
Ceylon and other parts or the East Indies,
aud has been introduced into the isles Of
France, Bourbon, Cayenne aud several Of
q ha .4f,a fr-aa in Il. -af
ca has over /, coo nutmegs on il yearly The
tree begins 20 bear when ten years old, and
goes on improving fer 100 years. The fruit
IL gathered two or three times year
Three sorts Of nuimegs are distinguished,
namely, the male or barren, the royal and
the queen, the last OF which is small and
round Tho nutmeg is propagated from
fresh seeds (nutmeg) and these vary in size
and shape just Gs apples and pears do when
raised from seeds. There can hardly be
more profitable crop than the nutmeg at
present prices. The annual yield OF good
tree of sixteen years growth is about ten
! pounds, covering about 800 square feet sur
face, at an average OF 40 cents per pound,
gives a value of produce per acre per an
mum of over 1890, including mace. The
fruit Of the nutmeg takes nine months 10
mature, and 100 pounds OF nutmeg produce
one pound Of mace A good nutmeg should
be round large and heavy, of drab or light
brown color, and finely marbled in the cross
section It's virtues are extracted by alcohol
and ether. Eighteen ounces OF good sound
nutmeg will yield four ounces of oil. The
volatile oil is obtained by dstillation with
water. BY pressure with heat ar oily mat
ter is procured from the kernels, which
becomes solid on cooling, and is commonly,
though erroneously, called mace. Nut
megs have been puncturcd and boiled In
order 10 extract their essential oil, and the
orifice afterward closed SO carefully as not
10 be dscoverable unless by breaking the
kernel. The fraud may be detected by their
nghtness, The Dutch were formerly said
10 heat them in stove in order TO deprive
them of the power OF terminating, and
thus prevent the propagation Of the tree.
The Dutch used TO have all the nutmeg
trade, as they owned the Banda islands, and
conquered the other traders and destroyed
the trees 10 keep the price up. They once
burned over three piles of nutmegs, each Of
which was as large as church. Nature did
not sy1npathize with such meanness. The
nutmeg pigeon, found in all India islands,
did for the world what the Dutch had de-
ternined should not be done-carried these
nuts, which are their food, into all the sur
rounding countries, trees grew again and
the world had the benefit The practice OF
lining nutmegs has been sadly abused; il
is used principally for making slightly and
marketable those nutmegs which at one
time would have been altogether rejected.
The long or wild nutmeg is distinguished
from that just described by its much
greater length, the absence of the dark
brown veins and its comparatively feeble
odor and disagreeable taste. II has been
called male, wild, or long nutmeg, the other
being designated as the female, or cult
waited nutmeg. The concrete, or expressed
oil of nutmeg, commonly called OIL of mace,
is obtained by bruising nutmegs, exposing
them in O bag 10 steam and then compress
ing them slightly between heated plates A
liquid oil flows out which becomes solid
when il cools. Nutmegs are said TO yield
from ten to twelve per cent. of this oil. The
best is imported from the East Indies in
stout Jars. It is solid, soft, unctuous to the
touch, Of q yellowish or orange yellow color
moro or less notified, with the odor and
taste Of nutmeg. An artificial preparation
Is sometimes made from genuine oil. Il is
made by mixing fatty matters, such as suet
palm oil, wax, etc, adding some col
oring substance, aud giving flavor to the
mixture by the volatile oil. Nut
meg unites with tho medical properties oi
the ordinary aromatics considerable mar
cotic power In the quantity Of two OF
three drachms II has been known 10 pro
duce stupor and delirium; and dangerous
IL not fatal, consequences are said 10 have
followed its use in India.