CAPSICUM 



ANNUUM 

 Red Pepper 

 Bombay. 



TRADE IN CAPSICUM 



In the Bombay Presidency chillies are rotated with ordinary market- 

 garden produce. On the black soil of the Deccan (Krishna Valley) is 

 produced a fairly large proportion of the red pepper conveyed to 

 Bombay. But the most important areas of production in Western India 

 are Dharwar, Belgaum, Khandesh, Satara, Poona and Sholapur. Cap- 

 sicums are usually sown in the rains, but if the land be irrigated they 

 become a rdbi crop. Usually they are raised in a nursery and transplanted, 

 and in about three months the first crop may be gathered. [Cf. Mollison, 



Panjab. Textbook Ind. Agri., 1901, iii., 206-9.] Speaking of the Panjab, Dr. 

 Stewart tells us that when grown on the hills, chillies become more pungent, 

 hence no doubt the special merit of the so-called Nepal Cayenne. In the 

 Lahore Gazetteer (1893-4, 164) will be found useful particulars of this crop. 

 It is planted out in June and begins to come into season by October. 

 Thirty maunds an acre for wet and 8 for dry are considered a fair 

 outturn. The cultivators sell it wet at 30 seers or one maund the 

 rupee. In the Gazetteer for Montgomery District (1898-9, 142) it is stated 

 that the crop is sown in January-February ; the ground dug about the 

 roots in February-March ; watered every fifteen days ; and the pods 

 collected May, June and July. White ants and parrots prey on it. 



Uses. It is needless to mention the varied uses of capsicum. The 

 dried fruit reduced to powder forms the Red Pepper or Cayenne of com- 

 merce. But cayenne is, as a rule, prepared from the small, very pungent 

 fruited forms only. It is an ingredient in all curries and many other food 

 preparations, and is used throughout India and by every class of the 

 community, so that while of comparatively modern introduction, the con- 

 sumption of red pepper has now become all but universal. There are 

 various brands of pepper sauce, which are produced as decoctions of the 

 fruits in salt water or vinegar (see p . 1 1 10) . Tabasco and Paprika are special 

 European sauces. In Bengal an extract of the consistence of treacle is 

 regularly prepared and sold. The green fruits are pickled or cooked fresh 

 with special dishes or even eaten raw. As a MEDICINE capsicum is sto- 

 machic, stimulant and astringent ; cayenne pepper is a valued adjunct to 

 gargles, and an ingredient in most medicines that are Intended to alleviate 

 toothache. As a rubefacient and counter-irritant, the bruised fruits, in 

 the form of a poultice, act energetically, and added to mustard are often 

 highly beneficial. For the medicinal uses and chemical properties the 

 reader should consult the Pharmacographia Indica and other such works. 



Trade. Trade in Capsicum. During the five years ending 1900-1 the foreign 



exports rose from 8,126,175 Ib. valued at Rs. 7,20,925, to 9,485,820 Ib. valued 

 at Rs. 12,47,349. These figures represent an increase of 16-7 per cent, on 

 the quantity, and as much as 73-0 per cent, on the value. In 1906-7 the 

 corresponding figures were 11,007,929 Ib. and Rs. 14,37,635. During that 

 year Madras contributed 7,677,763 Ib., Burma 1,386,739 Ib., Bengal 1,567,162 

 Ib., and Bombay 363,060 Ib. The most important receiving countries were 

 Ceylon, which took 8,419,713 Ib., the Straits Settlements 1,872,738 Ib., 

 Mauritius 287,027 Ib., Aden 104,356 Ib., the United Kingdom 85,428 Ib., 

 and other countries the balance of the total. 



These figures are, therefore, representative of the normal and present 

 condition of the traffic, and they also denote its thriving condition. This 

 is confirmed by the account of the Trade carried by Rail and River in India 

 during 1906-7. During the five years previous the recorded transactions 

 under the statement of imports were 832,648 cwt. in 1902-3 ; 760,611 



268 



Food. 



Cayenne 

 Pepper. 



Vinegar. 



Medicine. 



