Nutmeg

Nutmeg, the kernel of the seed of Myrista, a small tree, a native of the East Indian Islands, but also cultivated in India and Central America. The tree attains the height of thirty feet with a straight stem and a branching head. The flowers are male and female situated on different trees, small and of a yellow color. The fruit is round or oval, about the size of a small peach, with a smooth surface, green at first, but becoming yellow when ripe. The external covering, which may be called a husk, is thick and fleshy; becoming dry at maturity this husk splits open in two halves, and discloses the nut covered with its aril, or mace, which is of a beautiful blood red color. Beneath the mace is a brown, shining shell containing the kernel or nutmeg. There are two varieties of the nutmeg, the royal nutmeg which produces the long nuts and has the aril or mace much larger than the nut; and the queen nutmeg which yields the more valuable round nuts and has its mace extending only half way down the nut. A plantation of nutmeg trees is raised from seed and it is not till the eighth or ninth year that the tree produces flowers. The sexes being on different trees, after the plants are two years old they are all headed down, and grafted with scions taken from the female tree, reserving only male stock for fecundation.

The natives of the East gather the fruit by hand, take off and reject the outer shell or husk; the mace is then carefully taken off and exposed to the sun's rays for one day, when the beautiful red color changes to a light brown; it is then removed from the direct rays of the sun and allowed to remain for eight days more, when it is moistened with sea water to prevent it from drying too much, or losing its oil. It is then put in bags and firmly pressed. The nuts which are still covered with their wood shell are exposed to the sun for three days, and afterward dried before a fire till they rattle when shaken; they are then beaten with small sticks in order to remove their shell which flies off" in pieces; the nuts are then distributed in parcels; the fruit which contain the largest and most beautiful are intended for exportation; the second are those reserved for the use of the inhabitants; and the third contains the smallest which are damaged or unripe; these latter are burnt. Oil is obtained from the nutmeg by pressure, which has the consistence of tallow and preserves the flavor of the nutmegs. The nutmegs after having been thus selected, are pickled in lime water made from calcined shell fish and mixed with water until of a semifluid consistency. Into this mixture they plunge the nutmegs contained in small baskets, two or three times, till they are completely covered over with the liquor. They are then laid in heaps and allowed to sweat, after which they are packed in barrels or bales for exportation. The best nutmegs are those from Penang, which are about an inch in length, shaped like a damson plum, pale brown in color, furrowed on the exterior and gray inside, with veins of red running through them. Penang mace is also highly valued, and is usually of a pale cinnamon color when dry.
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