Abstract

Spices and condiments like chillies, onions, garlic, lurmeric, are useful to man to add flavour and taste to his food. Their use in food generally helps to stimulate the digestive organs. They serve as medicines or medical adjuncts. As a drench or as a tonic powder they are largely used for live-stock. It is not the purpose of this article to discuss the effect of the several spices as medicines. Spices being very useful to man in some form or other in daily life, the cultivation of three special spice crops viz. cummin, coriander and garlic is discussed in the following pages. These are not commonly cultivated all over the country because they can be grown only under certain favourable conditions of weather, soil and water supply. Also their cultivation is of a special nature. Now and then, several enquiries are received from ryots of various parts about the cultiva- tion of these crops. Therefore, the information on certain aspects of their cultivation as practised in the Udumalpet taluk of Coimbatore District is detailed for the benefit of those who desire to cultivate them. As conditions favouring their cultivation are restricted, the profits which may be expected by the successful growing of such crops of almost universal use are certain- ly more than what may be got from the ordinary crops. The knowledge on the cultivation of these crops are therefore of much importance to the ryots.

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