74 AGRICULTURE AND FORESTRY. 



violette, which in shape resembles our kidney-potato. This sub- 

 species is met with in Japan, too, but another, with large violet fruit, 

 pear or club-shaped, is probably the most widespread. They are 

 all on the same level as to percentage of water contained and value 

 as food, resmbling watery pumpkins, but requiring great summer- 

 heat, which the German climate cannot supply. 



36. Lycopersicmn esciilentum^ Mill, Jap. Aka-nasu, To-nasu, the 

 tomato or love-apple, is also found in Japan, but has, compared with 

 the egg-plant, only a slight importance in domestic economy there. 



37. Physalis Alkekengi^ L., Jap. Hodzuki, "bladder-cherry." 



38. P. angulatay L. (/*. ciliata^ S. and Z.), Jap. Sennari-hodzuki. 

 This sort, as compared with the common winter-cherry, is of in- 

 frequent occurrence. Siebold says of the latter : ** Fructus edulis 

 ac pro nugis habetur venalis." The skin of the berry is a favourite 

 and unique toy of Japanese girls, especially when carrying their 

 younger brothers and sisters on their backs. They separate the 

 red fruit, which is of the size of a small cherry, from the orange- 

 coloured skin enclosing it, and preserve the berry in salt-water. 

 By rolling and pressing, they free the skin from the flesh and seeds 

 within, squeezing them out through a little hole opposite the stem- 

 end. The skin of the berry has now two openings, like a lamp- 

 globe. This they put in their mouths, blow it full of air, and 

 then compress it between their gums, making a peculiar noise. 

 Herein consists all the fun. 



39. Capsicum anmmm^ L., Jap. Togarashi, Chilies, Spanish or 

 Cayenne pepper. Span, pimiento, Fr. piment. It is cultivated in 

 many sub-species, which are distinguished principally in colour, 

 form, and size of their fruit. Thus in Japan the Naga-togarashi is 

 especially frequent, — long, pointed peppers {C. longum, D.C.) with 

 glittering red or black berries ; also the Maru-togarashi, with heart- 

 shaped berries {C. cordifoliiini. Mill.). The black varieties are 

 called Murasaki-togarashi ; the red, Aka-togarashi. 



40. C. frutescens^ Willd., likewise called Togarashi, occurs much 

 seldomer in Japan than the above-mentioned herb-shaped kind. 



According to De Candolle,^ the Spanish pepper originated pro- 

 bably in tropical America, whence, at any rate, it rapidly spread, 

 soon after Columbus's discovery, for it was known in England as 

 early as 1 548. A warm climate is necessary to its proper develop- 

 ment. In many lands it is the favourite spice, either fresh, pickled, 

 or pulverized. Captain Hall remarks,^ " Chilies [i.e. Spanish 

 pepper) form the chief condiment of Corean cooking," and notices 

 further that they are missing in scarcely any dish, and are much 

 grown in the vicinity of villages. 



The word Togarashi, pepper, is also used in Japan as a generic 

 name for several different spices. Thus, every morning during 

 my first stay of five months in the German legation at Tokio, I 



^ " L'origine des plantes cultivees." Paris, 1883. 



2 Captain Hall: "A visit to Korea." Proc. R. G. S., 1881. 



