ToL. V. No. 1-2-2. 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



405 



CHILLIES OR CAPSICUMS. 



The following is an abstract of a paper by 

 Mr. W. R. Buttenshaw, M.A., B.Sc, in the West 

 Indian Bulletin, Vol. VII, p. 213 : — 



Chillies belong to the same order n£ plants as the English 

 potato, tomato, egg-plant, and tobaccof Their generic name 

 is Capsicum. Their red or yellow fruits contain a pungent 

 alkaloid, capricine. Besides their employment as a spice, 

 they are utilized in medicine. The true peppers, which 

 produce the black and white peppers of commerce, are in no 

 way related to the capsicums. The "fruit of the latter is 

 a berry of varied shape, often hollow. Most wild capsicums 

 are natives of tropical America. 



Five common forms are known locally in the West 

 Indies as — red or guinea pepper, spur or shrubby pepper, 

 bonnet pepper, bird pepper, and bird's-eye pepper. 



Uses of Cajjsicums. — Capsicums, fresh or otherwise, find 

 their chief employment as a condiment, for which the Nepaul 

 capsicum is the most esteemed. They are employed in 

 medicine as local stimulants, in the form of gargles and 

 liniments, and as digestives. 



Cayenne pepper is made by drying and grinding the 

 smaller pungent varieties. It is sometimes baked into cakes 

 with wheat flour and reground. 



Production of Caj^isicunis. — Formerly the capsicum 

 market was chiefly supplied by Sierra Leone, Natal, and 

 India. Now supplies are largely obtained from Zanzibar and 

 British East Africa. Capsicums are grown in enormous 

 quantities in the East Indies ; but the consumption of the 

 condiment is universal in India and China, and not much is 

 exported. The cultivation of chillies is an industry of some 

 importance in the island of Zanzibar. The exports during 

 the past ten years have been of the annual value of about 

 £8,000. 



The cultivation of red peppers is practically confined to 

 the eastern portion of Zanzibar, being carried on by the 

 'Wahadimu' — the original inhabitants. As the soil seems 

 particularly suitable to this crop, it appears to be unfortunate 

 that greater attention is not paid to the cultivation of chillies. 

 As it is, very little trouble is taken in preparing the product 

 for the market, with the consequence that Zanzibar chillies 

 have fetched the poorest prices (viz., only 30.s. to 31.s. per 

 cwt.) of any on the market. The growers frequently allow 

 the ripe pods to drop to the ground, where they may lie for 

 some days before being collected. Further, no attempt is 

 made to free the pods of stalks, dried leaves, or earth, which 

 may be adhering to them. If the pods were stalked and the 

 dirt removed, it is probable that the Zanzibar product would 

 realize some 15s. per cwt. more. This was shown by 

 a shipment made by the Agricultural Department from an 

 experiment plot of about .3 acres ; the sample was reported 

 to be far superior to the ordinary Zanzibar product. 



The pepper grown in Zanzibar is Capsicum minimum, 

 the bird's-eye pepper. When the season is over, the bushes 

 are cut down to a foot from the ground for a second growth. 

 The small Zanzibar chillies were exported from Uganda in 

 1904-5 to the value of £4,383. They are also being exported 

 from British Central Africa. 



Capsicums in the West Indies. — A J|j-acre plot was 

 planted with Natal capsicums at the Antigua Botanic Station 

 in August 1904. It was reaped from November to March, 

 and yielded 11 3f II). undried. Ordinary red peppers and 

 the yellow Nepaul were planted at the Nevis Botanic Station 

 on Jg- acre. The crop was dried, and 64 lb. of dry Nepaul 

 peppers were sold in London at £2 lis. per cwt. A barrel of 

 dry Nepaul peppers sent later sold at £4 per cwt. 



Cultivation of Capsicicms. — In the West Indies they 

 only require ordinary care. The land should be ploughed, 

 forked, and, if necessary, manured. The seeds are sown in 

 a seed-bed, and the seedlings transplanted readily. They should 

 be set out at about 2 feet by 2 feet. AVeeding, watering, 

 and moulding up may all be required. The fruit begins to 

 ripen in about four months. 



Drying. — The fruit is picked when quite ripe and dried 

 quickly in trays by sun and wind. They lose about 70 per 

 cent, of their weight on drying, about 2 per cent, by the 

 removal of their stalks before shipping, and 6 or 7 per cent. 

 more by the removal of discoloured specimens. 



The capsicum is very suitable for peasant proprietors to 

 cultivate and dry for export. 



SCIENCE NOTES. 



Scion and Stock. 



The following note regarding the influence of scion 

 on stock in grafting appeared in the Botanical 

 Gazette, for November 1906 : — 



By grafting Nicotiana Tahacum on N. affinis (which con- 

 tains little or no nicotin), and N. affinis on JV. Tahacum, 

 Grafe and Linsbauer have succeeded in showing, in a more 

 convincing way than before, the effect of the scion on the 

 stock in respect to products of metabolism. Nicotin was found 

 abundantly in N. affinis, whether it was functioning as 

 stock or scion. Indeed, it attained almost the maximum 

 amount found in N. Tahacum and scarcely fell below the 

 limits of variation in that species. When N. Tahacum was ■ 

 the stock, and the scion, N. affinis, was cut away completly, 

 the new shoots produced contained even less nicotin than the 

 N. affinis leaves had ; so that the authors believe the scion 

 had even increased the capacity of the N. Tahacum stock to 

 form this alkaloid. Further researches are in progress. 



Oil of Origanum. 



Several species of Origanum grown in Mediter- 

 ranean countries yield origanum oil. There are two 

 kinds of oil in the market, known respectively as 

 Trieste oil (from Origanum hirtum) and Smyrna oil 

 (from 0. Smyrnaeiun). Oil of sweet marjoram is 

 yielded by 0. Marjorana. 



It will be seen from the following extract from the 

 Board of Trade Journal that efforts are being made 

 to establish an industry in this product in Cyprus : — 



According to the Annual Report for 1905-6 on Cyprus, 

 the manufacture of origanum oil in the island, undertaken 

 by the Agricultural Department, has during the last year 

 assumed more important proportions, and a sample of the 

 product was submitted to Professor Dunstan, F.R.S., of the 

 Imperial Institute. The preliminary report made on the 

 sample showed that the oil was of good quality and would 

 sell readily to druggist.s, soap manufacturers, makers of 

 perfumery, and dealers in essential oils, and actual sales were 

 effected at remunerative prices. 



The Agricultural Department has been carrying on the 

 distillation of this oil for some four years, and has proved 

 that the product is easily made, and can be profitably 

 disposed of in a ready market. The origanum plant, from 

 which it is made, grows freely in the forests. Permission 

 to utilize the plant can be obtained from the Department, 

 which is ready to withdraw from the business and to give 

 advice and assistance to any approved person who may desire 

 to engage in the industry. 



