<SPAN name="startofbook"></SPAN>
<h1>BIRDS AND ALL NATURE.</h1>
<div class="volumeleft"><span class="sc">Vol. V.</span></div>
<div class="volumeright"><span class="sc">No. 2.</span></div>
<div class="ac">FEBRUARY, 1899.</div>
<hr class="chap" />
<h2><SPAN name="GINGER" id="GINGER"></SPAN>GINGER.<br/> <span class="xx-smaller"><span style="font-weight:lighter;"><i>Zingiber officinale Roscoe.</i></span></span></h2>
<p class="ac">DR. ALBERT SCHNEIDER,<br />
<span class="smaller">Northwestern University School of Pharmacy.</span></p>
<div class="ac smaller">"And ginger shall be hot i' the mouth, too."</div>
<div class="ir50 smaller">—<i>Shakespeare, Twelfth Night, II., 3.</i></div>
<div class="p2">
<ANTIMG class="drop-cap" src="images/initial_t.jpg" width-obs="58" height-obs="70" alt="" /></div>
<p class="drop-cap">THE well-known spice ginger is
the underground stem (<i>rhizome</i>)
of an herbaceous reed-like plant
known as <i>Zingiber officinale</i>.
The rhizome is perennial, but the leaf
and flower-bearing stems are annual.
The stems are from three to six feet
high. The leaves of the upper part of
the stem are sword-shaped; the lower
leaves are rudimentary and sheath-like.
The flowers occur in the form of
conical spikes borne upon the apex of
stems which bear only sheath-like
leaves.</p>
<p>The ginger plant is said to be a native
of southern Asia, although it is
now rarely found growing wild. It is
very extensively cultivated in the
tropical countries of both hemispheres,
particularly in southern China, India,
Africa, and Jamaica. The word ginger
is said to have been derived from the
Greek "Zingiber," which again was derived
from the Arabian "Zindschabil,"
which means the "root from India."
It is further stated that the word was
derived from Gingi, a country west of
Pondecheri where the plant is said to
grow wild.</p>
<p>True ginger must not be confounded
with "wild ginger," which is a small
herbaceous plant (<i>Asarum canadense</i>)
of the United States. The long, slender
rhizomes of <i>Asarum</i> have a pungent,
aromatic taste similar to ginger. According
to popular belief this plant
has a peculiar charm. Friends provided
with the leaves are enabled to
converse with each other, though many
miles apart and speaking in the faintest
whisper.</p>
<p>The early Greeks and Romans made
extensive use of ginger as a spice and
as a medicine. During the third century
it was apparently a very costly
spice, but during the eleventh century
it became cheaper, owing to extensive
cultivation, and was quite generally
used in Europe. Dioscrides and Plinius
maintained that this spice was
derived chiefly from Arabia. The
noted traveler and historian, Marco
Polo (1280-1290) is said to have been
the first European who saw the wild-growing
plant in its home in India.
As early as the thirteenth century a
considerable number of varieties of
ginger were under cultivation, which
received distinctive names as Beledi,
Colombino, Gebeli, Deli, etc., usually
named after the country or locality
from which it was obtained.</p>
<p>At the present time Jamaica supplies
the United States with nearly all of
the ginger, and this island is, therefore,
known as "the land of ginger."
Cochin-China and Africa also yield
much ginger. In Jamaica the process
of cultivation is somewhat as follows:
During March and April portions of
<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_50" id="Page_50">[Pg 50]</SPAN></span>
rhizomes, each bearing an "eye" (bud),
are placed in furrows about one foot
apart and covered with a few inches of
soil. The lazy planter leaves portions
of the rhizomes in the soil from year
to year so as to avoid the necessity of
planting, such ginger being known as
"ratoon ginger" in contradistinction to
the "plant ginger." The planted ginger
soon sprouts, sending up shoots
which require much sunlight and rain,
both of which are plentiful in Jamaica.
The field should be kept free from
weeds which is not generally done for
several reasons. In the first place
pulling the weeds is apt to loosen the
soil about the rhizomes which induces
the development of "ginger rot," perhaps
due to a fungus. Secondly, the
Jamaica ginger planter is naturally
lazy and does not like to exert himself.
The careful planter burns the
soil over before planting so as to destroy
the seeds of weeds. In brief it
may be stated that ginger is planted,
tended, and gathered much as potatoes
are in the United States. As
soon as gathered the rhizomes are
freed from dirt, roots, and branches
and thrown into a vessel of water preparatory
to peeling. Peeling consists
in removing the outer coat by means
of a narrow-bladed knife. As soon as
peeled the rhizomes are again thrown
into water and washed. The object of
keeping the "roots" in water and washing
them frequently is to produce a
white article. To this end bleaching by
means of burning sulphur and chlorine
fumes has been resorted to. Some
ginger, especially that of Jamaica, is
dusted over with powdered lime; this
colors the ginger white very effectively.
The bleaching processes also serve to
destroy parasites which may infest the
ginger before it is thoroughly dried.</p>
<p>The drying or curing of ginger is
done in the sun. A piece of ground is
leveled and laid with stone and cement.
Upon this the rhizomes are spread
from day to day for from six to eight
days. At night and during rains they
are placed under cover. The small
planter does the curing upon mats of
sticks, boards, palm or banana leaves
raised somewhat above the ground.
Very frequently the drying is done
upon leaves placed directly upon the
ground.</p>
<p>Not by any means all the ginger
upon the market is peeled. The
Jamaica ginger usually is; the African
ginger is usually unpeeled, and hence
dark in color; the Chinese ginger is
usually partially peeled. Peeling
makes the product appear whiter and
hastens drying very materially, but
much of the ethereal oil and active
principle is thereby lost since it occurs
most plentifully in the outer coat.</p>
<p>The ginger crop impoverishes the
soil very rapidly; every few years a
new field must be planted. Forest soil
is said to yield the best crops and in
Jamaica thousands of acres of forest
are annually destroyed by fire to prepare
new ginger fields. Ginger appears
upon the market either whole or
ground. Unfortunately the ground article
is oftentimes adulterated; for instance,
with sago, tapioca, potato,
wheat, and rice starch, with cayenne
pepper, mustard, and other substances.</p>
<p>Ginger has been an important commercial
and household article ever
since the first century of our era.
Poets and prose writers of the past and
present have praised ginger and the
many preparations having ginger in
composition, because of their
aromatic pungent taste and stimulating
effect. The opening quotation from
Shakespeare indicates the properties
of ginger. That it was a highly-valued
spice during the time of Mandeville
(1300-1372) is evident from a quotation
from his "travels."</p>
<p>"Be alle that contree growe the gode
gyngevere (ginger), and therefore
thidre gon the Marchauntes for Spicerye."</p>
<table class="sp2 mc w50" title="GINGER." summary="GINGER.">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td colspan="3"><span class="ac w100 figcenter">
<SPAN name="i_006.jpg" id="i_006.jpg"> <ANTIMG style="width:100%"
src="images/i_006.jpg" width="471" height="600" alt="" /></SPAN></span>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="xx-smaller ac w30">FROM KŒHLER'S MEDICINAL-PFLANZEN.</td>
<td class="x-smaller ac w40">GINGER.</td>
<td class="xx-smaller ac w30"> .</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p>Explanation of plate:</p>
<p><i>A</i>, plant abut natural size; 1, flower
bud; 2, flower; 3, outer floral parts
separated; 4, longitudinal section of
flower; 5, nectary with rudimentary
and perfect stamens; 6, pistil and
rudimentary stamen; 7, upper end of
style with stigma; 8 and 9, ovary in
longitudinal and transverse sections.</p>
<p>Green ginger pickled in sugar was
<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_53" id="Page_53">[Pg 53]</SPAN></span>
highly prized during the middle ages.
There are a number of beverages which
contain ginger. Gingerade is water
charged with carbonic acid gas and
flavored with ginger, being almost
identical with ginger-pop. Ginger-beer
is prepared by fermenting cream-of-tartar,
ginger, and sugar with yeast
and water. Ginger-ale is supposed to
be identical with ginger-beer. These
ginger drinks are all refreshing, but I
believe my readers will agree that
there is usually too much ginger present;
the hot, burning sensation in the
mouth is not very pleasant. It may
be that the trouble lies in taking too
much of the drink at a time.</p>
<p>In my estimation ginger as used by
the baker is most appreciated and here
again I believe my readers will agree
with me. Who has not heard of ginger-bread?
This sweet cake flavored
with ginger is not by any means of recent
origin. The great English bard
Chaucer sang its praises long ago
(1328-1400):</p>
<div class="poetry-container">
<div class="poetry">
<div class="verse">"They fette him first the sweete wyn,</div>
<div class="verse">And mede eek in a maselyn,</div>
<div class="verse indent-1_5">And roial spicerye</div>
<div class="verse">Of <i>ginge breed</i> that was full fyn."</div>
</div></div>
<p>Shakespeare also must have valued
this bread very highly, for in the play,
"Love's Labor Lost," he says:</p>
<p>"An I had but one penny in the
world thou shouldst have it to buy
<i>ginger-bread</i>."</p>
<p>Ginger-bread is often made into fanciful
shapes. Cats, dogs, horses, elephants
and men are cut out of the
rolled dough and then baked. Many
of my readers are perhaps familiar
with some of the beautiful playtime
songs of Alice Riley and Jessie Gaynor.
The following are the words of
one of these songs, entitled, "The
Ginger-bread Man." It describes the
ginger-bread man very beautifully in
the first verse. His awful fate, evidently
in the hands of a small cannibal, is very
graphically described in the second
verse. I regret being wholly unable
to supply the music. Here are the
words by Alice Riley:</p>
<div class="poetry-container">
<div class="poetry">
<div class="stanza">
<div class="verse">"Oh the ginger-bread man, the ginger-bread man,</div>
<div class="verse">The round little, brown little ginger-bread man,</div>
<div class="verse">He has sugary eyes and a sugary nose,</div>
<div class="verse">And he's sweet from his crown to his sugary toes,</div>
<div class="verse">Is this dear little, queer little ginger-bread man,</div>
<div class="verse">This dear little ginger-bread man.</div>
</div>
<div class="stanza">
<div class="verse">"Oh the ginger-bread man, the ginger-bread man,</div>
<div class="verse">The poor little, sad little ginger-bread man,</div>
<div class="verse">For he lost his poor arms, and he lost both his feet,</div>
<div class="verse">And he lost his poor head, it was so good to eat,</div>
<div class="verse">And his vest buttons tasted uncommonly sweet,</div>
<div class="verse">Ah, poor little ginger-bread man."</div>
</div></div>
</div>
<p>Gingersnaps are very much liked by
many. I used to demolish them by
the pound until someone whispered in
my ear that "bad eggs were used in
making them." Since then my appetite
for gingersnaps has lessened. I
hope what that man said is not true.
Gingernut is another cake containing
ginger and sweetened with molasses.</p>
<p>At the present time ginger is not
very extensively used as a medicine.
The powder or tincture is effective in
some forms of indigestion. It is used
to correct a bad breath, in tooth-ache,
as a gargle and mouth-wash, in colic,
and in dysentery. In a German work
on pharmacy I find that it is recommended
in catarrh of the stomach and
for "Katzenjammer." It will not be
necessary to explain Katzenjammer
means.</p>
<hr class="chap" />
<p><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_54" id="Page_54">[Pg 54]</SPAN></span></p>
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