A REVISION OF THE GENUS CAPSICUM. 61 



twelve to twenty days to germinate, the exact time depend- 

 ing upon its age. The plants are usually started under 

 glass in February or March and transplanted into pots or 

 fiats when large enough to handle. After all danger of 

 frost is past, they are moved to the field and planted one or 

 two feet apart. The ground around the plants is thoroughly 

 cultivated during the growing season, and in case of 

 extreme drouth artificial irrigation is sometimes resorted 

 to. 



Its culture does not appear to be especially confined to 

 any particular locality but is generally distributed through- 

 out temperate and tropical regions for the supply of local 

 markets. Capsicum frutescens is confined mostly to 

 Southern Asia, Africa, Mexico, and South and Central 

 America. The large Sweet Spanish variety is largely culti- 

 vated in Spain, and various varieties for the manufacture 

 of Paprika are extensively grown in Hungary. The 

 Tabasco variety is almost exclusively confined to one 

 locality in Louisiana. There is considerable local demand, 

 as pickles, mangoes and pepper sauces are quite extensively 

 manufactured in St. Louis, and the supply for them is 

 largely grown in this vicinity. 



Fortunately peppers are not subject to attack by insects. 

 Red spider and greenfly (Aphis) are the only known 

 Arthropod enemies, and their depredations are confined 

 mainly to plants grown under glass. The red spider may 

 be kept in check by repeatedly syringing with water, and 

 the greenfly may be killed by fumigating with tobacco. 



There are two fungus diseases which frequently occur, 

 especially upon the larger thick-fleshed varieties. One of 

 them Dr. Halsted * calls an anthracnose of the pink sort, 

 due to Gloeosporium piperotum E. & E., which causes the 

 fruit to rot about the time it is maturing. The other 

 disease is a dark anthracnose, due to Colletotrichum 

 nigrum . f 



* Kept. N. J. Exp. Sta. 326. 1892. 



t Halsted, Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 18: 15. 1891. 



