238 CALIFORNIA VEGETABLES 



are picked for the canneries from about August 15 till frost. Each 

 pepper is suitable for picking only a short time, not over two weeks, 

 and is in best condition just before it begins to turn red. None 

 should be overlooked early in the season, for the more you pick, 

 the more blossoms will come and new ones be set. 



Varieties. The varieties chiefly grown for home use and mar- 

 keting green are Large Bell or Bull-nose, an early variety of mild 

 flavor, fruit large, slightly tapering and generally terminating in 

 four obtuse, cone-like points. It is a favorite sort, both for pickling 

 and for table use. Sweet Mountain is another popular variety sim- 

 ilar to the foregoing, but larger and milder in flavor, and Chinese 

 Giant is an immense pepper, often twice as large as Large Bell. 

 Recently the Pimiento has been gaining rapidly in popularity for 

 beauty, mild flavor and desirability for canning. 



The standard for hot pepper and for the dried crop is the 

 Mexican chile, long, narrow pods on a low-growing, narrow-leaved 

 plant. One type is a very dark, thick-meated, cone-shaped chile, 

 growing form 4 to 6 inches long, which is gaining ground; while 

 the Long Red, or Anaheim chile, having pods from 6 to 10 inches 

 long, is the best known. The plant is strong and holds its fruit up 

 well and is very productive. There is also a longer variety with 

 pods up to fourteen inches in length, which, however, is claimed 

 to be less productive and light when dried, though the flesh is quite 

 thick when green. 



