Spices should not be held in storage for a long time, particularly in open bins, as some of their volatile oils pass off little by little into the air and are lost. This is especially true of cassia, either ground or broken. They should be stored in a dry place, as some of them are apt to mold if left in an atmosphere of condensing steam, and of course this mold would contaminate the catsup to some extent. I have seen mace which was in a very moldy condition due to its having been stored in the cook room for some time, and having collected moisture. Some of the milder varieties of pepper are also known to become moldy on exposure to extreme dampness. Quality of Flavor A great deal could be written about the quality of various varieties of the same spice. All of these varieties will not be discussed here but I will try to show how the packer is sometimes mislead by spice salesmen who show chemical analyses of their spices as positive proof of the actual value that they contain. As a matter of fact, the true value of a spice cannot be shown by a chemical analysis. Take, for example, cassia. The finest flavored cassia is the Saigon cassia, which can be obtained in the thin quill, the medium bark, and in the thick bark. At the other extreme we have the China cassia, which is considerably cheaper than the Saigon. If the catsup packer is going to judge his spices according to strength, he may find that he gets more strength from the cheap cassia than from the expensive one. The chemical analysis may show that the China cassia contains more essential oil than the Saigon does. In fact, this is often the case. However, what about the quality of that essential oil? There is the point. The essential oil extracted from the Saigon is different from that extracted from the China cassia. It has a more delicate, refined flavor. Its flavor is more pleasing to the palate, and is free from “harshness,” and “strength” of an unrefined nature. This does not mean that one cannot make a nice flavored catsup with China cassia, as such is not the case, but a better flavor can be obtained with Saigon. The point is that quality of flavor as well as quantity of flavor must be considered. Chemical analyses are only of value when exactly the same variety of two or more samples of spice are compared. When it comes to cayenne pepper, the quality of the flavor is not the important factor that it is in the milder spices. Cayenne is used to give “hotness” to the catsup, and the hotter the cayenne is, the greater its value to the packer. The Mombassa and the Japan chillies are the hottest, although in recent years they have been so expensive that it is more economical to use some of the others, even though a slightly larger quantity may be required.