For the nursery, a space of ground is selected in rich soil free from stones. The whole brush wood is cleared, leaving only the large trees for shade ; all stumps, stones, and roots are removed, and the place is well dug 6-8 in. deep, and formed into long beds 3-4 ft. wide ; the seeds are sown 9-12 in. apart, and shaded at 8-12 in. above the ground by a pandal of leaves ; they are watered on alternate days until they have one pair of leaves, and the watering is continued in very dry weather ; but the shade is not removed until the plants are 6-8 in. high, and can bear the sun. These seedlings will be ready for transplanting 3 months after the thne when they were sown. Nurseries are made just before the close of the year. When this is done first, the land is prepared during the dry season, from December to March, both inclusive. April sets in with heavy rain generally in Ceylon, and the weather continues wet till September-October. The cinnamon seeds are gathered when fully ripe, and heaped up in a shady place; the outside red pulp then rots and turns quite black, allowing the seeds to he trampled out or otherwise freed from the decom posed pulp ; the seeds are well washed in water (just as is done to cherry coffee, before making into parthment in the white shell, see pp. 702-3), and dried in the air without exposure to the sun. Seeds that float on the surface of- the water should be rejected. The quality of the bark depends upon its situation on the branch : that peeled from the middle of the bush or branch is the best or " let " sort ; that taken from the upper end, the " 2nd " ; while that obtained from the base of the branch, or the thickest end, is called "3rd " sort. The peeling process commences early in May, and continues until late in Octobei.. When a Chilaw perceives a shoot of a proper growth, he strikes a small bill-hook (catty) obliquely into the shoot, and gently opens the gash to discover whether the bark separates freely from the wood ; should this not be the case, he leaves the Bucker for a future time. Some shoots never arrive at a fit state for decortication. Those which are cut are usually in. diam., and 3-5 ft. long. They are tied in bundles, and carried to sheds appro priated to thc preparation of tbe cinnamon.
13eing cleared of small shoots and leaves, two longitudinal slits are made in the bark, which is gradually loosened by tile convex side of a peculiar knife (mama), and then nsually half the circum ference of the bark comes off in one entire slip. Virhen the bark adheres firmly te the wood, it is strongly rubbed with the handle of the peeling-knife, until it is disengaged and stripped off. The seetions of the bark thus obtained arc carefully telescoped one into the other, collected into bundlee, and firmly pressed or bound together. In this state, they remain for 24 hours, or more, thereby facilitating the subsequent removal of the cuticle. The interior side of each section of bark is placed on a convex piece of wood, and the epidermis, together with the greenish pulpy matter immediately under it, is carefully scraped off by a curved knife. This is an operation requiring some nicety, for if any of the outer bark be allowed to remain, it gives an unpleasant bitterness to the cinnamon. In a few hours after the removal of the cuticle, the pieces are pot one into the other till they form almost solid sticks about 40 in. long. On the first day, they are suspended
under shelter upon open flat forms; on the second day, they are placed on wickerwork shelves, and exposed to the sun. When sufficiently dry, they are made up into bundles of about 30 lb. each, which, previous to shipment, are subjected to a process of assortment. For export to Europe, the bark of large shoots or thick branches, producing coarse cinnamon, and that of very young and succulent shoots, possessing little flavour, is rejected, and used for the preparation of the essential oil (see p. 1419), The cinnamon-gardens of Ceylon had increased from 14,400 acres in 1860-4, to 26,000 in 1878. It is still being extensively planted upon nearly worn-out coffee estates, and upon other land con sidered unpromising for more valuable crops, and the results are said to be satisfactory. The experts from the island have fluctuated considerably, having been 776,675 lb., 38,833/., in 1864, 2,685,395 lb., 134,270/., in 1869, 1,132,191 lb., 53,0771., in 1874, and 1,665,481 lb., 78,069/., in 1878. The London market values of Ceylon cinnamon are :—ht quality, ls.-3s. 64.1. a lb.; 2nd, 11-28d. ; 3rd, 7-21d.; 4th, 7-18d. ; chips, 1+-6iid.
The peculiar tendency of cinnamon to deteriorate in new localities, coupled perhaps with the absence of due care and experience, has rendered it impossible to produce the spice equal to the Cingfilese article anywhere outside that island. It is most nearly approached by that'grown in S. India, known as " Malabar," " Tinnevelly," or " Tellicherry," and valued at ls. 5d.-2s. 4d. a lb. In the Seychelles, are said to exist 2000 aeres of cinnamon shrubs, whieh are utilized solely as fire wood. In Dominica also, the plant is found commonly in a wild state. Brazil and French Guiana afford insignificant quantitieb of a very inferior cinnamon. But Java OCCUllied an important poeition as a producer of this spice. The culture and preparation do not differ essentially from the methods practised in Ceylon, but the packing is usually effected in wooden cases, and blaek pepper is said to be sprinkled among it to preserve the flavour. The exports from Java in 1879-80 were :— 638 pietas (of 135i lb.) to Holland, and 24 to Australia.
Our imports of cinnamon in 1880 were :-1,377,272 lb., 91,544/., from Ceylon ; 189,548 lb., 8213/., from other countries; total, 1,566,820 lb., 99,7571. Our re-exports in 1880 were 1,172,166 lb., 78,8051., chiefly to Spain, Germany, Mexico, and Holland.
Other Cinnamomum spp., and the means of distinguishiog cinnamon from cassia, are described under the latter (pp. 1804-5).
Cloves (Fa., Girofles, Clous de Girofles ; GER., Gewriirznelhen).—The name cloves is applied to the dried flower-buds or calyces of Eugenia caryophyllata [Caryophyllus aromaticus], an evergreen tree of 30-40 ft., indigenous only in the five small islands constituting the Moluccas proper (Tarnati, Tider, Mortir, Makian, and Bachian), but introduced at various times into, and more or less widely cultivated in, Amboina, Hanka, Saparua, Nusalant, Sumatra, Penang, Malacca, Mascarene Islands, Reunion, Mauritius, Zanzibar, Pemba, Jamaica, Dominica, and French Guiana.