It is found cultivated from the Himalaya Mountains, 5000 feet above sea level, to Cape Comarin. The root is dug when the plant is a year old and after the stalk has withered. Black Ginger, of which Calcutta and African are the common varieties, is produced by scalding the freshly dug roots. This prevents sprouting. White Ginger is the decorticated product, the chief varieties being Jamaica, Cochin and Japan. Jamaica is the most esteemed. Jamaica Ginger is best known and most used here, although both Cochin and African Ginger are imported in a large way. The different varieties of Ginger are imported by McCormick & Company, who distribute them under the Bee Brand and Banquet Brand guarantee. Green Ginger is the undried root. That received in the United States is the Jamaica variety. [Illustration: McCormick’s Bee Brand Ground Ginger] Mrs. King’s Bee Brand Ginger Bread 1 cup brown sugar 1 cup Porto Rico molasses 1 cup sour milk 1 (rounded) teaspoon soda in 2 tablespoons boiling water 1 cup boiling water 2 teaspoons Bee Brand Powdered Ginger 2 eggs and 3 cups flour 1 teaspoon Bee Brand Powdered Cinnamon ½ teaspoon Bee Brand Nutmeg 2 tablespoons lard 2 tablespoons butter ⅛ teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 tablespoon baking powder Mix and sift dry ingredients. Beat eggs without separating, add sugar, molasses and milk, shortening, and gradually beat in dry ingredients, reserving soda, which is stirred in boiling water, and beaten in last. Pour in pan or muffin rings. Add a cup of currants if desired.—_From Bee Brand Manual of Cookery._ The mixture should be the consistency of Muffin Batter, add a little more flour, if necessary. [Illustration: (Pimento or Allspice)] Jamaica Fruit Mexican Flower ⅔ Natural size Pimento, or Allspice The Pimento (_Pimenta officinalis_), an evergreen tree belonging to the Myrtle family, is a native of the West Indies, but is found in Mexico, Costa Rica and Venezuela as well. The highest quality Pimento comes from the Island of Jamaica. The Mexican berry, while handsome in appearance, is inferior in flavoring quality. [Illustration: Packeting Spices] The trees usually grow in groups of from five to twenty, but are sometimes found in forests. After the tree has attained a certain growth, the underbrush and other Pimentos are cut away, leaving the trees about twenty-five feet apart. The Pimento flowers twice each year, but bears only one crop of berries. The problem of harvesting is the most serious with which the planter has to contend. It is difficult to secure help among the indolent natives, and as the harvest season is short—because the berries must be picked just before they ripen—the loss from over-ripening is very great. After harvesting, the berries are exposed daily to the sun for a period of from seven to twelve days, being placed under cover each night.