71 
smeared oyer and covered with cowdung to keep the 
roots iVoiii drying up in Har m ontli, when the first 
rain falls, they plough up the land two or three 
times; they divide the land off into beds with a 
little raised edge round each hed, taking care to 
make openings to let superfluous water run off, for 
if water Stands on the crop, the roots will rot. They 
then bury little pieees of the roots three inches deep 
in the soil at intervals of nine inches; they next 
cover over the field with the leaves of trees, which 
keeps the soil moist, and over the leaves they spread 
manure, to a depth of halt an inch ; when it rains 
the water impregnated with manure Alters readily 
through the leaves to the roots. Artificial irrigation 
is not employed while the rain lasts, but from Assuh 
to Poh it is necessary. In the month Poh the plants 
are ahout two feet high, for every one shoot there 
are eight tubers or parts of the root; these are dug 
out and buried in another place for a month ; then 
they are taken out, exposed to the sun for ä day, 
and are then fit for use. 
In the months of Sawan, Bhadon, and Assuh, 
three times, the field is weeded. Ä begah of land 
requires eight maunds of ginger to plant it, and 
yields 32 maunds for a first-rate erop. 
Ginger fit for planting again sells at eight to ten 
seers per rupee ; that for use only, at 24 to 32 seers 
per rupee. 
In order to dry ginger into “ sonth,’ the fresh 
roots are put into' a basket which is suspended by a 
rope, and then two men, one on each side, pull it to 
and fro between them by a bit of rope attached, and 
thus shake the roots in the basket; this proeess is 
carried on for two hours every day for three days. 
After this, the roots are dried in the sun for eight 
days, and again shaken in the basket. The object 
of the shaking together is to take off the outer scales 
and skin of the roots. A two days’ further drying 
completes the proeess, and sonth sells three seers to 
four seers per rupee. 
Turmeric is cultivated in the same manner; when 
ready it is dug up, steeped in hot water a day and a 
night, and then dried. 
TURMERIC 
Curcuma longa 
Is also the dried rhizome of a similar plant to ginger, 
which likewise is widely cultivated. The bright yellow 
powder of these rhizomes forms one of the chief in- 
gredients of the renowned “ curry powder ” which has 
such an important place in Indian cookery. 
822. Turmeric. Berar. 
3,610. Turmeric. Oude. 
874. Turmeric. Indore. 
7,291. Turmeric. Nasick, Bombay. 
8,831. Turmeric. Rajshahye. 
2,575. Turmeric. India Museum, London. 
GARLIC. 
Allium sativum. 
The fresh and dried bulbs are included with spices 
under this section their function being similar, in 
imparting their characteristic flavour to dishes in 
which they form an ingredient. In India, to some 
extent, Asafcetida supplies the place of garlic, 
although it by no means supersedes it. 
823. Garlic. Berar. 
2,539. Garlic. India Museum, London. 
ONION. 
Allium cepa. 
Dried onions, equally with Garlic, seem entitled 
to a place here rather than with vegetahles, although 
neither of them are literally spices. 
824. Onions. Berar. 
PEPPER. 
Piper nigrum. 
Consists of the dried berries of a climbing plant, 
which is indigenous to the forests of Malabar and 
Travancore. The pepper vine is propagated from 
cuttings or suckers, laid down at the commencement 
of the monsoon, in a rieh and tolerably moist soil. 
In three years it begins to bear, each plant yielding 
on an average lj lbs. of pepper per annum. The 
crop is gathered in March and April. The fruit is 
plucked when not quite ripe, and dried on mats in 
the sun. White pepper differs from black only in 
being deprived of the outer skin by a short macera- 
tion in pure water, and subsequent gentle rubbing. 
In North Canarait is most successfully grown above 
the ghauts, although it succeeds well below. An 
acre of land will bear 2,500 plants, and as they 
require little care, the cost of cultivating and bringing 
into bearing one acre does not exceed 40 rupees at 
the most, and as the annual yield when the plants 
come into bearing is worth upwards of 800 rupees, 
the investment is a very profitable one.* 
7,284. Black pepper. Nasick, Bombay. 
119. Black pepper. Bangalore. 
2,611. Black pepper. India Museum, London. 
2.223. Wild pepper. Madras. 
2.224. White pepper. Madras. 
2.225. Lunkah pepper. Madras. 
2.226. Indian pepper. Madras. 
MUSTARD. 
Sinapis sp. 
The seeds of several species or varieties of Sinapis 
are employed in India. It is scarcely possible to 
determine the species or varieties from the seeds 
themselves, hence they are grouped together under 
the above general heading. Probably a large Pro 
portion may be referred to Sinapis juncea. Oil is 
also expressed from these seeds to a considerable 
extent, and they appear again under the heading of 
Materia medica. 
818. Sinapis ramosa. Berar. 
3,593. Sinapis glauea. Oude. 
3,579. Sinapis nigra. Oude. 
7,294. Mustard. Nasick, Bombay. 
8,824. Mustard. Rajshahye. 
8,826. White mustard. Dacca. 
6,271. Mustard. Khandeish. 
6,136. Mustard. Ahmednugger. 
6,088, 6,089, 6,092. Mustard. Aden. 
6,062. Mustard. Dharwar. 
850. Mustard. Indore. 
* Times of India, lltk Octobcr 1862.