Spices and How to Know Them

by Walter M. Gibbs

CUTTING CINNAMON

As long as the seed is on the bushes, which is nearly till the end of the year, the sticks carrying them do not peel, owing possibly to the growth being checked and with it the free flow of sap in the effort to mature the seed. If, therefore, this seed is allowed to remain great loss results, as by the time the seed-bearing bushes are peelable they will have grown so much as to yield coarse bark, fit only to quill coarse cinnamon, or not fit to be quilled at all. To avoid this loss the seed is stripped from the limb, when it will peel in its proper time. A plantation should not be expected to bring large returns for eight or nine years.

After the crop, which is taken from four to six inches above ground, has been cut, the stumps should be covered with fresh earth gathered from the space between the rows and formed into a heap around the base. Sometimes a fire is made on the old stump. The next year two or three times as large a crop may be gathered, and so on year after year, until at length the bushes will become so thick as to admit only the weeders and peelers. The only manure required is the weeds, which three or four times a year are placed between the rows and covered with earth. When the shoots are harvested from old stumps, they should be cut with one stroke of the heavy knife, in order to avoid splitting the stems. As the cutting takes place twice each year, there is a succession of young wood of different ages on the tree.

The branches are cut off from three to five feet long when tipped at the ends by means of a long knife in shape of a hook or sickle (catty). The shoots, after they have been cut and the tops have been removed, are tied into bundles and carried to the “wadi or peeling shed,” where they are allowed to sweat for the preparation of the bark. The leaves, side branches, and outer bark are next removed from the shoots. The peeler (Chaliyas, Sinhalese caste of cinnamon peelers), sits on the ground beside his bundle and with his left hand cuts the inner bark in two pieces (and sometimes three if very heavy and thick), longitudinal slits the entire length of the stick. It is then easily removed by means of a peeling knife (mama), which is round-pointed and has a projecting point on one side for ripping and running beneath the bark and lifting it about one-half inch on both sides. The bark will usually come off in halves eight to nine inches wide. The assortment is made at the same time. The coarse peelable bark is for coarse cinnamon, and that which is not peelable goes as chips. If the bark adheres firmly, the separation is facilitated by friction with the handle of the knife rubbed dextrously down it or with some smooth, hard piece of wood of convenient length.

When the day’s work is finished the assorted bark is piled in a small enclosure made by sticks driven in the ground and is covered with the day’s scrapings and with a mat. This treatment is called “fermenting,” but it is rather to hold the moisture and soften the bark for the next operation. After remaining twenty-four hours, or on the morning of the second day, three sticks are driven into the ground at such an angle that they will cross each other about one foot high. They are tied firmly at the point of crossing and are used for supporting the end of a fourth stick, the other end of which rests upon the ground. Before this support the native sits upon the ground and taking a strip of the bark places it on the stick and holds the upper end firm with his foot. Then with a small curved knife, having a slightly serrated edge, he scrapes off the cuticle, for if any remains it will create a bitterness. (See [illustration].) While it is yet moist with sap, it is placed with concave side downward to dry and it then contracts and curls into tubes or quills. The pipe maker, as he is called, is furnished with a board about one yard in length, a measuring stick, and a pair of scissors. He takes a bundle of the prepared sticks and sorts them into three or four grades, according to quality. Slips for the outer covering are then selected, the ends being cut square with the scissors. Placing this on the boards, he proceeds to pack within it as many of the smaller pieces (see [illustration]) as it will close over when dry, which is called piping. When the day’s work is finished the pipes are arranged on parallel lines stretched across the shed. They are then placed on hurdles covered with mats to dry in the sunshine until firm enough for handling. Afterwards, if necessary, the outer edges are pressed in and the ends are dressed and they are tied into bundles of about thirty pounds each. Three bundles are tied together to form a bale. This bale is covered with canvas. In this form the product is put on the market ready for export, where it appears in long brittle sticks of a pale yellow-brown color or white to lightish yellow ([Fig. 1]). The best grade is nearly as thin as paper, not being more than one-eighth to one-sixteenth of an inch in thickness. It has a very delicate flavor and is very superior in aroma and strength to the ordinary Chinese variety. It lacks the strength of Saigon, however, and is seldom called for except for medicinal use, for which in many cases it is highly valuable. A well-made cinnamon pipe, as it is called, will be of uniform thickness and quality; the edges will be neatly joined and in a straight line from end to end with the appearance of a tight roll of paper, which will feel firm under pressure of the thumb and finger, and the size of the pipes will vary according to the quality of the spice. In the finer sorts there are from fifteen to twenty-four pipes to the pound. In the next grade there are from ten to twelve. The coarser are stuck together without regard to appearance. In Ceylon the yield is about 150 pounds per acre, but on good soil and with careful tillage and manuring larger returns are obtained.

CUTTING AND QUILLING CINNAMON

Illustration: PEELING AND QUILLING CINNAMON