Where the Nutmeg Tree Grows--Yield of Nuts and Mace and How Prepared
for the Market--Uses in Commerce
The nutmeg tree, known to botanists as Myristica frangrans (sweet
smelling) is a native of the Malay archipelago. The tree, which in the
Banda isles grows to the height of 50 to 60 ft., and in the Straits to
30 to 40 ft., resembles the pear tree in the shape of its leaves and
fruit. Its flowers are like those of the lily of the valley in form and
size, but are pale yellow and exceedingly fragrant. There are male and
female flowers, the nutmegs being obtained from the latter. It is only
when the tree is about 6 or 8 years old that the female tree can be
distinguished from the male, and of the latter only a few are allowed
to remain for fertilizing purposes, the rest being cut down. The nutmeg
tree continues to yield from 70 to 80 years after reaching maturity (8
years). Each tree on an average will produce 10 lbs. of nutmegs and 1½
lbs. of mace annually. The fruit is yellowish, edible drupe, about the
size of a peach; it splits into halves when at maturity--about 9 months
from the time of blossoming--exposing a single seed with a thin, hard
shell, surrounded by a fibrous substance of a crimson color, which,
when dried and shelled becomes the nutmeg. The young drupes, when
young and tender, are often preserved like jam and are considered the
most aromatic and delicious of conserves. Altho the nutmeg tree has
ripe fruit upon it at all seasons, there are three principal periods
of harvesting, viz: July, when the fruit is most abundant, though
it yields thin mace; November, when the mace is thicker, though the
nutmegs are smaller, and March, when both mace and nutmegs reach their
greatest perfection--but as this season is dry the production is not
great.
[Illustration]
The usual method of gathering in the Straits is to collect the ripe
nuts that have fallen on the ground. In the Banda islands, the fruits
are gathered in small, neatly-made, oval bamboo baskets--holding about
3 fruit--at the end of a long bamboo stick, which prevents bruising,
the baskets being opened for about half their length on one side, and
furnished with two small prongs projecting from the top, by which the
fruit stalk is broken, the fruit falling into the basket. After the
pulp--which is about ½-in. thick, whitish in color, and tough like
candied peel--has been removed the mace is stripped off by hand. The
shell of the fruit is very hard and cannot be broken without injury to
the kernel. To overcome this they are put into receptacles with fine
mesh bottoms, and dried over a slow fire--being turned from time to
time--until the kernel rattles freely in the shell, a process which
takes about 6 or 8 weeks. This also kills any weevil which may be at
work in them. They are then carefully cracked by placing them on a
sort of drumhead made of raw-hide and striking them with a board or
mallet, when the shells fly off into pieces. Great caution is needed
in shelling, for if too hard a blow be struck it makes a black spot
on the nutmeg, which affects its value considerably. After being
steeped in salt water several times and again dried they are sorted
according to size and soundness--130 to 140 to the pound are the lowest
priced, 75 to 80 the highest, and larger nuts are sold at special
prices. The sorting is done by hand, and nothing but sound, perfect
nuts are supposed to be shipped. The broken and wormy ones are used in
manufacturing “nutmeg butter,” or, as it is commonly but erroneously
called, “mace oil.” They are now limed. There are two methods of liming
in vogue--the dry and the wet. In the dry process, the nuts have dry
lime powder rubbed over them, either by hand or shaking in barrels.
In the wet process, the nuts are put into newly-slacked lime and then
spread out to dry, or they are dipped into a kind of lime-pickle, thick
as syrup, made of calcined-shells and salt water. After being covered
with this mixture they are dried. The process of liming originated with
the Dutch, with a view to preventing the germinating of the seeds, for
which purpose they were formerly immersed for three months in milk of
lime. Again it is claimed that liming preserves the nuts against the
attacks of maggots and a particular kind or beetle by stopping up their
breathing and chewing apparatus. A preference is still manifested for
limed nutmegs.
As nutmegs are now seldom shipped by sailing vessels, but by steamers,
thus saving the long-time voyage, there is no reason why they should
not come unlimed, and then the differences in their natural complexions
and range of variations would become familiar and easily recognized.
The liming process hides many imperfect or corky nuts; nuts which have
been riddled with worm holes are “stopped” with a paste made of flour,
oil and nutmeg powder and then mixed with the sound ones. Occasionally
this paste is moulded into false nutmegs. Besides this, nutmegs are
frequently robbed of part of their essential oil by distillation in
alcohol--a process called “sweating”--and yet sold as entire nuts. A
small quantity of boracic acid will accomplish the same purpose as
lime, and Paris white and barytes will serve to mask the identity as
well as the defects. A good nutmeg should have no worm-holes, be full
of oil and cut firm like a piece of wood, and if a pin is thrust into
one the oil should ooze out on its being withdrawn.
The Penang nutmegs, which are generally not limed, are considered the
best, altho some prefer the Banda or Batavia, and after these the
Singapore. There is also a demand for an elliptical-shaped nutmeg of
rank flavor, first called long nutmegs, but now known as Macassars.
Another kind of nutmeg from New Guinea, and known in Germany as “horse
nutmeg,” is from the species Myristica Argentea. It is of a long and
narrow shape. In these the arellus or mace furrows are less marked and
their odor is not so delicate as that of the true nutmeg.
There are many kinds of wild or inferior nutmegs, such as: American
Jamaica, or calabash nutmeg (M. monodora), of the custard-apple family,
bearing a large pulpy fruit containing aromatic seeds. Brazilian nutmeg
(cryptocarya moschata) a tree of the laurel family, producing nutmegs
of an inferior quality. The nut is longer than the true species and
is sold under the name of long nutmeg. California nutmeg, a tree of
the pine family, called also stinking nutmeg or stinking yew, from the
disagreeable odor of the leaves and wood when bruised and burned, and
yielding a fruit resembling true nutmegs. Clove nutmeg, a Madagascar
tree of the laurel family, the fruit a pungent kernel resembling the
true nutmeg and used as a spice. Peruvian nutmeg, a large tree of the
monimiad family, yielding an aromatic fruit. From Borneo a wild, soapy
nutmeg and mace (M. fatua) are often palmed off as the true kinds.
There is also the Sante Fe nutmeg (Motoba) from Columbia, S. A., and
Ackaway nutmeg, a spice grown in Guiana, the fruit of Acrodiclidum
camard. Another species, the M. sebefira, is a common tree in the
forests of Guiana, north Brazil, and up into Panama. It is utilized
principally for the oil extracted from the nuts, obtained by macerating
them in water, the oil rising to the surface, and as it cools skimmed
off. Ackawi nutmegs, used mainly as a cure for diarrahoea and colic.
All these, while resembling somewhat the true nutmegs and sometimes
foisted on dealers, are of very little real value.