The record-union., 1894-03-01
ABOUT TEE NUTMEG.
Here's a Column Worth Reading and
Remembering.
How Nature Frustrated the Design of
An OId-Time Monopolist-Meth-
DDS of Harvesting.

the perllS OF the sea aud the desert IN the
search for three things-gold, gems and
spices. If we desired to be extremely
learned we could doubtless formulate an
lndisputable array of authorities, proving
that Hamilcar, the Carthagenian, in his
voyage of African circumnavigation,
stored the holds OF his galleys with all
sorts Of aromatic products. We might
dig out of Herodotus quotations showing
how the Lydians, Carians. Phenicians
and Egypti9ns bartered bags of spices
for gold darics and staters. We might
even read, with the aid of Mariette and
ChampolliOn, in the hieroglyphics of the
rock tombs Of Thebes and Pylae, the re-
ceipts for the curing Of the citizens of
HeliopOlis and Karnak in baths of nat
ron, cinnamon, cloves and pepper. We
are content. however, TO point out the
fact that spices and perfumes have al
ways divided honors with gold and jew
els.
Leaving to the fanciful Spaniard the
search tor the w estern Ell Dorado, the
more practical Dutchmau devoted him
self to the accumulation Of the riches to
be gathered from the Glove, cinnamon
and nutmeg trees-mines whose treas
ureS are renewed from season to season.
the enormous value OF the nutmeg. They
found it growing plentitully Oh All of the
MoIuccan Archipelago, but as they had
especially established their power over
the Banda Group, and as the nut had be-
come Instantly most valuable commod
ity. they resolved to secure the monopoly
OF SO profitable an article. Your Dutch
man does not think quickly, but once he
has made up his mind, he is not TO be
diverted from his aim. The Dutch mer-
chanC OF the sixteenth and seventeenth
centuries was q soldier and sailor as well
as a trader. In order to keep the nutmeg
supply III ms own hands he headed
armed expeditions TO all the adjacent
islands. and, after cOnquering them,
made a condition of his treaty of peace
that all nutmeg trees should DE destroyed, |
and no more grown. Jan an EVert- |
sen, a Dutch writer Of the seventeenth
century, records that on one of these
torays the victorious leader compelled
the natives, first, to chop down all their |
nutmeg trees, and next, 10 pile upon the |
fallen trunks all OF Tie nuts in The DOS |
session OF the people. There were sew
eraI piles" says Evertsen, las large as
goOd-sized houses, and they used ladders
Tor TO carry the baskets 10 be emptied
atop. They were Yerltabie small mount
aims; and have seen many a church in
Holland Of less size than those accumu-
lations OF nuts, which were burned to
ashes with most OuOrOus SMELL
But Dutch arms anu Dutch greed could
not oppose the will OF nature. In the
Molucean Archipelago there is a bird
which feeds upon the fresh mace, or sec
ond envelope Of the nutmeg. 1t is called
the nutmeg pigeon" Ia order to Sc
cure the mace, which clings firmly to the
nut, this bird carries away both envelope
and nut to It's nest, which, as it is a Great
ure Of long flight, may be upon an ada
q
mainland. Having stripped off the mace
the bird drops the nut, with It's fructify-
ing germ, upon the rich soil, where it !
immediately sprouts, takes root, and, in |
the course Of time, becomes a fruitful |
tree. AT the present time, though the |
Banda Group slill produces a large pro-
portion OF the worlds supply, many |
thousand pounds are annually exported |
from the East Indies at large, and from
HindOstan. The United States alone has
used as many as half million pounds IN
a single year.
The nutmeg tree somewhat resem bles !
our hardy pear, and seldom reaches more |
than thirtytive or forty feet in hight. /
The flowers are pale yellow, and are
very similar in size and shape to lilies OF
the valley. The leaves are large, aver
aging SIX inches i'll length, dark green, /
polished on the upper surface and gray
lSh beneath. AS leaves, flowers and |
fruit are all richly odorous, the atmOS-
phere in the nelghborhoOd Of a nutmeg
grove Is constantly laden with a delight !
ful and characteristic perfume. SO per-
slstent and penetrating is this perfume
that 1t is readily perceived on ships pass |
ing twenty miles oil the coast.
The fruit is round and about as large as
q modern-siZed apple; or, to be more ex-
act, nearly three inches in diameter. The |
outer portion is thick, fleshy rind, very
similar to that which surrounds the hick |
DRY nut. Inside of this is the husk, a sort /
of rough, thready substance, OF a brill |
liant scarlet when first opened, but soon
changing to yellowish brown as it dries !
on exposure TO the air. This husk is the
mace of commerce. " hen this is stripped
OFT there is lett hard, thin, dark brown
shell covering the seed, or nutmeg proper
The outer rind splits into two nearly
equal parts when the nut is ripe and is
thrown away as yalueless; but in some |
parts OF the Moluccas the rind is peeled |
OF in its green and juicy state, and made
into species Of sWeetmeat with honey
or sugar. The writer has been permitted
To taste this preparation, and-well, she |
cheerfully donates her share to the de-
serving poor.
Though the flower and fruit are upon
the tree together al all seasons, the nut is
harvested in July, November and April; !
in the last named month both mace AID
nut are in their utmost perfection. a
healthy tree Will produce at a single har-
vest about 600 pounds of nuts and two
pounds of mace. The fruit is commonly
gathered by hand, by means OF small
wicker baskets at the end of long BAN boo
poles; the outer rind is removed and the
mace carefully separated with knife.
The mace IS dried in the sun, or, in the
rainy season by artificial heat; ii is fat
tened between the hands, making what
the housewives know as ''blades OF
mace.v After 1t has assumed the proper
bronze, or ochre-yellOW color, ii is dipped
in salt water to preserve it, dried again
and finally packed in bales and bags Tor
export.
The nuts themselves are placed upon
small wire nets, or CRATES, over mild
fire, sufficient 10 dry, without roasting
them. This Is process requiring care
and patience, taking about fifty or sixty
days to complete. When the nut rattles
in the thin, inner shell. the operation is
supposed to be complete. The shell is
then knocked of with q wooden mall or
wooden mallet. A solution OF lime and
water. of the thickness OF milk. is pre-
pared, and the nuts are dipped into it;
the object being to prevent the attacks OF
beetles and gruDs, and also the sprouting
Of the nut, which spoils its usefulness. /
The feathery white coating which you
observe upon the nutmegs of commerce
is due to this lime solution. a nutmeg
which lacks this coating may be sus-
pected OF being of inferior quality, per-
haps theacrid South American variety.
Uses OF Cotton-Seed OIL.
Last year there were probably ,250. 600
tons of seed crushed. OF this seed there
were obtained ,000, 900 barrels of oil. OF
this amount it is estimated by Pdd4naa-
ceutlcat Era that 300. 600 barrels are used
in China on for MAKING lard and ST TOuis