Much ginger is grown in China, and considerable quantities of the young succulent rhizomes preserved in syrup are sent to this country. Our imports were 9372 cwt., 25,722/., in 1872, and 6996 cwt., 19,8941., in 1875. The Venezuelan port of Ciudad Bolivar shipped 450 lb. to New York in 1878 ; and Panama exported 981. worth to the United States in 1879.
" Scraped " or " uncoated " (decorticated) ginger is often bleached by subjection to the fumes of burning sulphur, or by immersion in chloride of lime solution, while much is washed over with either sulphate or carbonate of lime. Our total imports in 1880 were from :—Bombay and Sind, 23,249 cwt., 45,8281.; Madras, 12,492 cwt., 25,4601. ; British NV. Indies, 5639 cwt., 28,6241. ; Bengal and Burma, 3617 owt., 37131. ; W. Africa, 3142 cwt., 30001. ; other countries,1823 cwt., 29201.; total, 49,962 owt., 109,545/. The total figure for 1876 was 62,164 cwt. Our re-exports in 1880 were 18,086 cwt., 32,152/., chiefly to Germany, the United States, and Australia.
The essential oil is described on p. 1421.
Mustard (Fa., Moutarde ; GER., Senf).—Black mustard is the seed of Brassioa [Sinapis] augra and white mustard that of B. [S.] alba, while Indian mustard, brown mustard, or rai is afforded by B. [S.] junoea, and is sometimes offered in London sales for black mustard. S. glauca and S. ramosa also yield a white mustard-seed in India.
The first species iB found wild in all but the most northern parts of Europe, as well as in N. Africa, Asia Minor, Mesopotamia, the Caucasus, W. India, S. Siberia, China, and naturalized in N. and S. America. R is cultivated extensively in Alsace, Bohemia, Holland, Italy, and on the richest alluvia.] soils in England, notably in Lincolnshire and Yorkshire. The great aim of the grower is to produce reddish-brown seed, without any intermixture of grey, which is attributed to rain during the ripen ing, and greatly lowers the value of the parcel. The crop requires very little tillage. A shallow furrow is ploughed, and the seed is sown broadcast, at the rate of 1 bush. an acre, in April, the harvest taking place in June-July following. The land is generelly sufficiently seeded to produce a 2nd crop, which is sometimes gathered within the same year. A yield of 40 bush. an e,cre is not uncommon. The 'French departments of Nord, Pas de Calais, Bas-Rhin, and Charente annually produce about 650 tons, value 60001., while the whole production of France in 1867 was stated at 3000 tons.
The mama (white) species belongs rather to S. Europe and W. Asia, but its cultivation is extending in England, where it is grown as an agricultural crop in Essex and Cambridgeshire. It is much less remunerative than black mustard.
The third species is extensively cultivated in India, Central Africa, and other tropical countries. It flourishes particularly well in the saline soils of S. Russia and the steppes lying N.-E. of the Caspian, some 800 tons of seed being annually prepared for table at Sarepta, in the government of Saratov.
The mustard flour which constitutes the domestic spice is prepared from the seeds crushed between rollers, pounded, sifted, and re-sifted into 3 qualities, " superfine," " fine," and " seconds." Only the seeds of the black and white species are supposed to be employed ; but it is exceedingly probable that much of the third kind finds its way into the composition, as flour, turmeric, and capsicums are known to do iu the lower grades of the article. Characteristic tests by which white and black mustard-seeds may be distinguished are :—(a) The aqueous extract of white mustard soon acquires a powerful odour of sulphuretted hydrogen, while the black amells only of the pun gent oil ; (b) the aqueous extract of the former is coloured deep blood-red by ferric chloride solution.
British India exported 1418 tons of mustard-seed in 1871-2, 790 tons going to the United King dom, and 516 to France ; in 1876, the total figure was 12,770 cwt.; in 1879, only 5016 cwt. Nico laieff (Russia) exported 498 quarters (of 8 bush.) in 1879.
The fixed and volatile oils of mustard-seed are described respectively on pp. 1396, 1421.
Nutmegs and Mace (Fa., Muscades et Macis ; GER, Muskatnasse und Muskatbliithe).—The fruit of Myristica fragrans [moschata, offioinalls], somewhat resembling a small round pear, contains a single seed, the kernel or nucleus of which forms the " nutmeg " of commerce, while its fleshy crimson envelope (arillus) is called " mace." The tree is a bushy evergreen of 40-50 ft., found wild in the Banda Islands, Demme, Amboina, Ceram, Bouro, Gilolo (Elalmahera), the W. peninsula of New Guinea, and in many neighbouring islands, hut not indigenous westward of these, nor to the Philippines. It has been introduced with varying success into Bencoolen (W. Sumatra), Malacca, Bengal, Singapore, Penang, 13razil, the W. Indies, French Guiana, and Reunion ; but the Banda Isles remain the chief nutmeg-garden of the world. Of these islands, three are planted with the trees, viz. the Great Banda or Lonthoir, Banda Neira, and Pule) Aai. There are in all 34 parks, containing 319,801 bearing trees. The total produce from these yearly is about 4000 piculs (of 139i lb.) of nutmegs, and 1000 of mace ; this gives little more than catti (of 1.39 lb.) of spice for each tree per annum, but then a very large proportion of the produce is lost from the following causes: much cannot be collected from the height of the trees, and the inaccessible places in which hundreds of them are placed, and much is lost hy wind-falls ; a large pigeon called walur feeds extensively upon the fruit, and ejects it aft,er digesting the mace ; besides these, field-rats eat the nuts. The distribution amongst the islands is in the following proportions : Great Banda, 25 parks ; Neira, 3 parks ; Pulo Aai, 6 parks. The chief labour is performed by convicts furnished 13y the Dutch Government, there being no indigenous population in Banda.