of the article.

This is one of those peculiar prejudices of John Bull, which somewhat
impugns his wisdom; but it must be attended to, as John is very ready
to pay for his caprice; therefore those who provide for him have no
right to complain, although they may smile.

The nutmeg tree was sent from Bencoolen to Singapore, the latter end
of 1819, so that thirty-four years have elapsed since its first
introduction. Sir Stamford Raffles shipped to the care of the resident
commandant, Major Farquhar, 100 nutmeg plants, 25 larger ditto, and
1,000 nutmeg seeds, which were committed to the charge of Mr. Brooks,
a European gardener, who was specially engaged by the East India
Company to look after their embryo spice plantations here. Some of
these plants were set out in rather a bad soil and locality, but
several of them are at present, and have been for the last ten years,
fine fruitful trees. 315 of the trees in the Government garden
yielded, in 1848, 190,426 nuts, or at the average of 604 for each
tree; but of these not over 50 were of the old stock, most having been
planted since 1836; so that a planter may safely calculate on having a
better average than is here set forth, provided he attends to his
cultivation, and his trees are brought up to the age of fifteen
years. If a plantation be attended to from the commencement after the
manner I have endeavoured to explain, and the trees be in a good
locality, the planter will undoubtedly obtain an average of 10 lbs. of
spice from each tree from the fifteenth year; this, at an average
price of 2s. 6d. per lb., is 25s. per annum. He can have about seventy
such trees in an acre, so that there is scarcely any better or more
remunerative cultivation when once established. But the race is a long
one, the chances of life, and a high rate of interest in the country,
make it one of no ordinary risk, and it is one that holds out no
prospect of any return in less than ten years.

A person commencing and stopping short of the bearing point, either by
death or want of funds, will suffer almost total loss, for the value
of such a property brought into a market where there are no buyers
must be purely nominal. Again, if the property has arrived at the
paying point, almost any person of common honesty can take charge of
and carry it on, for the trees after twelve years are remarkably
hardy, and bear a deal of ill treatment and neglect; not that I would
recommend any person to try the exper