Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-11-13
PIMENTO, OR ALLSPICE.
Grows on a Tree Looking Like thu
Northern Beech.
From the New England Grocer.

From the New England Grocer
A dealer recently was telling a brother
merchant about some Of his experiences
in dealing with the public, and among
them he mentioned several instances
which were at the expense Of customers
which he considered to be very funny.
indeed. He told how a woman came into
the store and asked for a package OF
allspice. She was given a package OF
pimento, which she refused, saying that
she wished allspice. Fortunately, and We
are at a loss to conceive how such an
extraordinary occurrence ever happened
the clerk in the store was able to draw
from the depths of his knowledge and
to inform her That pimento was alispice
and that allspice was also pimento.
This is TACT, and presumably 1t was
called allspice when it was fist intro
duced into the market from the fact tnal
1t was supposed to combine the fla. or
Of several sp ces. We think it would
require considerable imagination to de-
tect the different fiavOrs. Allspice, OF
pimento. comes almost entirely from
Jamaica and the West Indies. 1t g. ows
on a tree looking not unlike the northern
beech, although usually not so large as
the largest beech trees, averaging, per-
haps. twenty-five or thirty feet in
height The pimento tree abounis al
some elevat on above the sea level
usually on the high taDlelands and above
the level where the cocoanut palms moss
p. ofusely abound; usually where the
traveller sees the Cabbage palm in ia
maica he will see also simultane ousIy
pimento trees. The leaves are about the
size Of the leaves Of the beech, though
rather more glossy.
The pimento is produced in the form OF
berries, which grow +. ON the axles OF
the leaves in clusters. THESE berries
are gathered carefully when about six
months old and while sill green IN
color. When ripe the be. RES a.e dark.
about the color of huckleberry. 4 he
method of gathering them is this: Ma
sheets beneath them. and shake the ber-
ries upon the sheets. They are then
gaihe. ed and winnOwed 50 as to free
them of all extraneous matter, such as
leaves and particles of twigs, dried in
the sun on canvas screens until the
moisture Is entirely e,aporated from
them and they become nard. They are
then packed in bags of ABOUT 100 pounds
each and are then ready for shipment
to northern markets.
From the same island comes another
article common in the g.oce Sores,
Jamaica ginger. jana ca ginger is
known as a life saver to some Oh the
ru. al districts where local option has be-
come oppre ssive. The ginger grows in the
lCwlands near or at the mouth o. rivers
or in fiat intervales where tie soil is
40 e or less damp The plant itself Is
foot to eighteen inches h.gL an ars
a leaf not unlike that OF the p-geon
perry, common in New England. The
niger Is obtained from the heshy root,
which Is grubbed out of the soil. was le /
dried and packed in baskets and mats
and bags for shipment. he United
'ruit Company br ngs into Boston guam
titles OF these two spices. ID along The
coast Of Jamaica on the company's prop
ty the voya ger will va beds un
er which are stacked thousands Of bags
IF ginger ana pilIen.o a"al.li.s S.p
ment.