. A history of the vegetable kingdom; embracing the physiology of plants, with their uses to man and the lower animals, and their application in the arts, manufactures, and domestic economy. Illus. by several hundred figures. Botany; Botany, Economic; 1855. THE NUTMEG TREK 487 In a favourable season the pimento crop is enormous. " A single tree has been known to yield one hundred and fifty pounds of the raw- fruit, or one hundred weight of the dried spice ; there being commonly a loss in weight of about one-third in ; This return is not, how- ever, of very usual occurrence, as
. A history of the vegetable kingdom; embracing the physiology of plants, with their uses to man and the lower animals, and their application in the arts, manufactures, and domestic economy. Illus. by several hundred figures. Botany; Botany, Economic; 1855. THE NUTMEG TREK 487 In a favourable season the pimento crop is enormous. " A single tree has been known to yield one hundred and fifty pounds of the raw- fruit, or one hundred weight of the dried spice ; there being commonly a loss in weight of about one-third in ; This return is not, how- ever, of very usual occurrence, as the produce is variable; a very plenteous harvest seldom occur- ring above once in five years. This spice is chiefly imported from Jamaica, hence the name Jamaica pepper. Pimento also combines the flavour and pro- perties of many of the oriental spices, hence its popular name of all-spice. The Nutmeo Tkee (myrisdca moseJiata). Natural family, myrislicK; dicecia, monadelpMa,. of Linnaeus. This tree attains the height of thirty feet, producing numerous branches. The bark of the trunk is a reddish brown, that of the young branches is of a bright green colour. The leaves are nearly elliptical, pointed, undulated, obliquely nerved; on the upper side, of a bright green, on the under, whitish; the male and female flowers are on dififerent trees. The flowers of both are small, white, bell- shaped, and without any calyx ; the embryo fniit appearing at the bottom of the female flower, in the form of a little reddish knob. The female flowers grow on slender peduncles, two or three together, but it is rare that more than one flower in each bunch comes to maturity and produces fruit; this resembles in appearance and size a small peach, but it is rather more pointed at both ends. The outer coat is about half an inch thick when ripe, at which time it bursts at the side and discloses the spices. These are— The Mace, having the appearance of a leafy net-work of a fine red colour, which seems
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