>Richard Allicock wrote >I was hoping to hear.... [from] David Watson on whether the crediting of >Sir Joseph Banks with the introduction of the Nutmeg to Grenada in >1784 was in Dr. Groome's book No, Banks wasn't credited by Groome. I think Groome would have if he had had any evidence - in his small way he was a Banks of Grenada, and I think they shared the same alma mater, and they certainly shared the same obsession with natural history. I am wondering what this has to do with genealogy, but it seems to have sparked an interest. I hope whoever is "in charge" will bear with us. Nutmegs are so important to Grenada - like oil to Saudi Arabia. I've read a lot over the years about nutmeg agriculture, and I think we're dealing with three things - why is everything in threes? - the general desperate desire, for science and profit, to grow spices. People who did this in the beginning, couldn't match the expertise of the Dutch. Lots of trials and lots of failures. It is actually quite tricky to grow nutmegs, certainly in commercial quantities; that's hardly news to any farmer. So we have an "introductory period" when plants went into the ground and generally failed. - then, in Grenada, some managers go to Penang to assist with sugar production, and they learn to cultivate nutmeg, they learn some secrets. They bring back the nutmegs and the secrets and experiment. - lots of failures again, but they persevere and have a factor to help, Thomson Hankey (that's the name of a company,) whose families have a produce relationship with Grenada. I think we're now into the 1860s. - luck now plays a part, as does clever agricultural techniques. Some pestilence in Indonesia, a good factor (Thomson Hankey,) smart planters (I'm sure you are right, Richard, they were Scottish,) and away you go. You can hardy believe your luck. That seems to have been four points, oh well. In 1955 hurricane Janet destroyed 80% of Grenada's nutmegs. But they bounced right back, planting new trees and using the opportunity to improve the planting techniques. Also, the marketing system of cooperatives in Grenada has served all growers, large and small, over the years. How many of you on this list are interested in this esoteric discussion? David Watson

Hi David, Thanks for replying on the Groome/Banks question of 1784. I think I might have a source if Edward Crawford is not able to enlighten us on the question. Thanks also for further info. on nutmeg cultivation and history, and to Chris for giving the O.K on a continuation. I had hoped for it to end on the Banks 1784 question, but I am glad that we can continue. I have some questions of my own. Since I have never seen a nutmeg tree, much more a grove of them, I wonder what could have caused such difficulties in the Caribbean when seeds or seedlings were procured? And some of the questions I have are these: How does the male trees fertilize the female trees? Is it by wind-blown pollenation or by insects? If by wind, do the male trees have to be planted in a particular spot in relation to the females, or just upwind of the females? If by insects, what kind? Can one identify male trees from female trees, and differentiate male and female seeds and seedlings? Does the fruit require ingestion by an animal to break-down the outer fruity part, and partially break-down the outer-surface of the seed, before it can be germinated? Do the fruits have to fall and decompose in the shade of the parent tree, and take root and germinate in the shade, or does it have to be propagated by animals passing the seeds out of their gastro-intestinal tract elswhere to give the seedlings a better chance for survival, (which they would not have in competing with many other seeds), or in the shade of the parents? Is brazing by a forest fire required to burn off the remants of fruit or part of the outer-surface of the seeds, before germination can begin? Do the trees have to planted in valleys, on the side of hills or between other species for shade? What kind of soil is required, acidic, neutral, alkaline, clay or loam? What kind of irrigation is required? I hope some-one on the list can answer some or all of these questions. Thanks. Richard. ----- Original Message ----- From: "David Watson" <family.watson@utoronto.ca> To: <CARIBBEAN-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Monday, June 16, 2003 9:05 AM Subject: Nutmeg - History - Grenada British Empire Sir Joseph Banks et al. > >Richard Allicock wrote > > >I was hoping to hear.... [from] David Watson on whether the crediting of > >Sir Joseph Banks with the introduction of the Nutmeg to Grenada in > >1784 was in Dr. Groome's book > > No, Banks wasn't credited by Groome. I think Groome would have if he had had > any evidence - in his small way he was a Banks of Grenada, and I think they > shared the same alma mater, and they certainly shared the same obsession > with natural history. > > I am wondering what this has to do with genealogy, but it seems to have > sparked an interest. I hope whoever is "in charge" will bear with us. > Nutmegs are so important to Grenada - like oil to Saudi Arabia. > > I've read a lot over the years about nutmeg agriculture, and I think we're > dealing with three things - why is everything in threes? > > - the general desperate desire, for science and profit, to grow spices. > People who did this in the beginning, couldn't match the expertise of the > Dutch. Lots of trials and lots of failures. It is actually quite tricky to > grow nutmegs, certainly in commercial quantities; that's hardly news to any > farmer. So we have an "introductory period" when plants went into the ground > and generally failed. > > - then, in Grenada, some managers go to Penang to assist with sugar > production, and they learn to cultivate nutmeg, they learn some secrets. > They bring back the nutmegs and the secrets and experiment. > > - lots of failures again, but they persevere and have a factor to help, > Thomson Hankey (that's the name of a company,) whose families have a produce > relationship with Grenada. I think we're now into the 1860s. > > - luck now plays a part, as does clever agricultural techniques. Some > pestilence in Indonesia, a good factor (Thomson Hankey,) smart planters (I'm > sure you are right, Richard, they were Scottish,) and away you go. You can > hardy believe your luck. > > That seems to have been four points, oh well. > > In 1955 hurricane Janet destroyed 80% of Grenada's nutmegs. But they bounced > right back, planting new trees and using the opportunity to improve the > planting techniques. Also, the marketing system of cooperatives in Grenada > has served all growers, large and small, over the years. > > How many of you on this list are interested in this esoteric discussion? > > David Watson > > > > ==== CARIBBEAN Mailing List ==== > Before posting a query, check to see if the question has already been asked on the List. All messages posted to CARIBBEAN-L are archived by date or thread at http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/index/CARIBBEAN. You can search the archives at http://listsearches.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/listsearch.pl?list=CARIBBEAN. > >

I had a look via Google, using keywords grow nutmeg Some of the links didn't work, and I took excerpts from the cached versions. http://www.kambing.com.au/mala.htm "Nutmeg trees grow best in hot, humid tropical conditions. ..... When they are young, they need protection from the sun and wind. " http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/tropical/msg0512331317555.html " ... my wife and I had alot of seeds and cuttings of diferent things to bring back...... About four months later my wife pulled out a purse from the closet that she hadn't used since Grenada and felt around inside and found behind the lining a plastic bag with black mushy stuff and some hard round things in it. When she opened it there were several nutmegs germinating! That is the only time we got them to grow. On the nutmeg plantations the trees are planted so close together that very little light gets through to the ground yet the ground is full of germinating seeds. That and humidity must be the secret. " http://www.theworldwidegourmet.com/spices/cinnamon/nutmeg3.htm "The nutmeg tree has a rounded top. Its persistent leaves have an attractive shiny green top, while underneath the colour tends towards a greyish-green. They are oval, lanceolate and about 10 cm long, resembling the leaves of a rhododendron. Amidst this foliage grow bunches of little pale yellow bell flowers. The male flowers differ from the female, but both have a pleasant scent. The only way of determining whether a tree is male or female is by its flowers. A male tree can fertilize 10 female trees though there exist, as with a few other species of trees, some bisexual elements. The round fruit looks like an apricot or a peach of a pale yellowish colour streaked with red and green. Once it reaches maturity, it splits open into two white-fleshed halves to reveal a somewhat ovoid, bright scarlet nut. Growing Nutmeg Nutmeg is grown in valleys from sea level to an altitude of 500 m. It is propagated by means of seeds. Its germination period is 6 weeks and the seedling is then transplanted into the ground. .... Harvest .... Inside the fruit is a brown, almost round nut that is dense, oily and hard, protected by a thin woody membrane called the aril. It is this tegument that envelops the nutmeg seed. This fleshy skin, sometimes called the "flower of nutmeg," is composed of a web of fibres whose colour often denotes its origin:.... Drying The aril is dried in the sun for a week or two and takes on a yellowish brown colour. It is then flattened and prepared to produce mace which is then sold in strips, small pieces, or ground. The nut is dried in the sun until the nutmeg in the centre produces a rattling sound, which can take from one to two months. Then the pit is broken with a stick or more sophisticated equipment. The nutmeg inside is 2 to 3 cm long and 15 to 18 mm in diameter. It is immediately dipped into a lime-based solution to prevent it from being damaged by insects. The Dutch also used this lime treatment to sterilize the nutmeg they exported as we noted in the history of nutmeg. " http://www.oldetimecooking.com/Herbs/nutmeg.htm ".... It needs extremely fertile soil and to be near the sea where temperatures rarely dip below 60°F (15.5C). " http://www.szgdocent.org/ff/f-rain3b.htm " The tree grows only 9-20m tall and most nutmegs are from small-holder farms. It blooms only at 5-6 years old, after which it continues to fruit for about 25-30 years. Each tree bears mostly female or male flowers, sometimes all the flowers may change gender in the next season. Thus the tree clearly depends on a pollinator to set seed and produce this important crop. But to this day, we are still not sure what the pollinator is. Some say it is a moth, others say it is a bee or beetle. Yet others suggest it is the wind. The main disperser of the nut are the imperial pigeon (Ducula concinna) and its relatives. They are attracted to brightly coloured aril, and drop the nut uneaten." Richard Allicock wrote: > <a number of questions about the cultivation of nutmegs>