Evening star., 1948-02-27
By Eanice WeIch Foster

K ~ ~ Wv" = UVtet
Wars have ragged, thieving, mur-
der and arson been committed
through the ages, in order to gain
and keep control Of the worlds spice
industries, for until the close of the
18th century spices were rare, costly
and well nigh unattainable, except
By the affiuent.
Nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves and
pepper are almost as old as civiliza-
ton itself, the first three playing
large part in funeral rites among
Orientals and Hebrews Of Bible days,
as well as forming the base of sweet
smelling oils and perfumes, coveted
possessions of ancient men as well
as the ladies.
Holland in the 17th century
formed her East Indies Co., offering
great inducements to men, who, ex-
Hing themselves from home and
kinfolk. would take charge OF her
large plantations, in order to estab-
hsh the Netherlands lucrative mo-
nopoly Of the nutmeg trade.
b In the Dutch East Indies thou
lands upon thousands Of the lovely
Yeathery trees which bear the nut
meg, covered miles Of plantations
given over exclusively to the care
and cultivation Of this spice. In
his delightful book, "Javanese
Waters" H. w. Ponder says, Dutch
exiles built their lordly mansions,
leatd for the exotic foods they ate,
the clothes they wore and the hun
dreds of slaves who toiled for them,
all on the money made from nut
negs"
This was a profitable, closely
guarded monopoly, eyed jealously
by other countries. But not until
1895 when England fought for and
seized these East Indies islands was
the cultivation of the spice extended
TO India, Brazil and the West In
dies. t.
Nutmeg trees require from to IL
, years to mature fully, needing con-
slant care and cultivation during
that period. The nutmeg itself Is
really the kernel of the pulpy,
peach like fruit the tree bears, and
/ Ia doubly profitable crop since the
same fruit yields two distinct spices,
mace and nutmeg.
This fruit Is never hand-picked'
for when ripe its outer covering
splits open and the seeds with their
fihrous coating fall to the ground:
The reddish, lacy outer covering OF
the ssed, more aromatic and pun
gent than the nutmeg itself, Is
carefully removed, then sun dried
separately to produce mace. the
nuts are placed on fine gratings and
dried, too, in the hot tropical sun,
until the kernels in them, the part
marketed, rattle around inside the
shells, which are then split open 70
reveal the nutmeg itself. A bath
in milk of lime is then given them
to render them impervious to at
tacks by insects, as well as to pre-
vent their sprouting, and after a
second drying they are packed IN
tight, waterproof casks ready for
shipment to far places OF the eartn.
More than one captain OF a Dutch
ship lost his commission when So
called fertile nutmegs were founo
among his vigorously inspected car
90 and more than one miserable
slave, heavily bribed by the British,
, eager to start nutmeg groves OF
their own, lost his life for attempt
ing to smuggle fertile nutmegs
aboard ship for them. Heavy fines
and penalties were exacted from
any one. be he, planter or merchant
who tried to export these fertile
nuts, or snuggle them aboard snip.
During the centuries when this
spice was rare and costly, English
and French ladies of rank wore the
nuts. richly set in silver adorned
with pearls and precious stones,
dangling from their girdles OF
stomachers, that they might sn1f1
at them as they drove about the
foul smelling streets OF Paris or
London.
4 Cinnamon, too, Is an age-old spice
made from the aromatic inner bark
of a tropical tree, which looks some
thing like our laurel, growing under
cultivation from 10 to IL feet IN
height. This inner bark is stripped
from the saplings with one long
deep slash of very long, very sharp
knife used by the natives, then
rolled in "quills" which are wrapped
about bamboo rods to dry. When all
moisture has left the bark it Is cut
into strips 2 to feet long and
thus exported, since much of CHINA
mons tantalizing taste and aroma
is lost If powdered before shipment
= First found in Arabia, the Arabs
derived enormous profits from It's
sale and fercely guarded the secret
of its source. Blood curdling tales OF
the hazards encountered in reaping
their crops were told, when fabulous
monsters who inhabited the regions
where the spice was found tried to
kill the Arabs. Be that as 1t may
Il became we'll known that when any
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