Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1910-10-27
PIMENTC, OR ALLSPICE
Grows ON II Tree Looking Like the
Northern Beech.

,Fron the New England Grocer
\ dealer recently was telling a brother
merchant abou. 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 ne very funny,
indeed He told how a woman came into
the store and asked for package of all
spice. She was given package of
pimeuto. which she refused, saying that
she wished allspico. Fortunately. and we
are al a loss to conceive how such all OK
traordnary occurrence" ever happened,
the clerk in the store was able TO draw
from the depths of his knowledge and 70
inform her that pimento was allspice,
and that allspice vas, also pimeRto.
This is fact, and presumably It was
called allspicc when II was first intro
duced into the market from the fact that
1t was supposed to combine the flavor OF
several spices. We think 1t would re-
u,ire considerable Imagination to detect
the different favors Alspice, or pimen-
to. comes almost entirely from Jamaica
and the West Indies. u grows on n tree
loolinl not unlike the northern beech,
although usually not so large az the larg-
est beech trees. averaging, perhaps. rs or
80 feet in height The pimento tree
aboundr At some elevation above the sea
level, usually on the nigh table-lands ana
above the level where the coconnut palms
most profusclv abound. usually where
the traveller sees the cabbage palm III
Jamaica he win see, also, simultaneously
pimcn,o trees, The leaves are about the
| size of the leaves of the beech, though
III ther more glossy.
The pimento Is produced in the form ot
| berries, which grow from the a%les or
| the leaves In clusters. These berries are
| eathered carefully when about six
months old and while still green In color
When ripe the berries are dark, about
the color Of huckleberry The method Of
/ gathering them Is this Natives ascend
| the tree frs, spreading sheets beneath
them, and shake the berries upon the
sheets They are then gathered and win
moved SO as to free them of all cX-
| traneous matter such as leaves and
articles of twigs, dried in the sun on cam
vas screens until the moisture is entirely
cvapoiatcd from them, and they become
| hard. They are then packed in bags OF
| about l00 pounds each and are then ready
| for shipment To northern markets.
| From the same island comes another
| article common In the grocery stores
Jamaica ginger Jamaica ginger Is know
to some of the rural districts where loca
option becomes oppressive as me-
saver The ginger grows In the low
lands near or at the mouth Of rivers oi
in Nat intervals where tne soil Is more
or less damp. The plant itself Is 100
to is inches high, and bears lear ho'
| unlike that of the pigeon berr 'oii'''"'
, in New England The ginger = obtained
from the ncshy root, which Is erunne'
out of the soil washed. dried and parKc'
, in ba skets. and mats and bags lot sh'P
,nent. The United Fruit company nr'hs
into Boston quantities of these two spec
nd along the coast Of Jamaica on TN
company's property the voyager VIII SCI
vast sheds under which are stacke'
thousands OF bags of ginger ana pmeht
awaiting shipment.