FOOD AND FLAVOR 215 



scarlet, crimson, orange, and yellow to pure 

 white. In form, some are nearly flat, others 

 oval, yet others round or heart-shaped or like 

 drawn-out cylinders. Some are annuals and 

 others perennials. As to flavor, some are sweet 

 and palatable, while others are among the most 

 pungent and fiery of substances that are ever 

 purposely put into the mouth. 



My own work has included the cultivation and 

 crossing of a large number of species and varie- 

 ties of pepper. At least one of these will stand 

 a very low temperature, the plants showing no 

 trace of injury when left where ice forms a 

 Quarter of an inch in thickness. 



As most of the peppers are exceedingly sensi- 

 tive to frost, this hardy Chilean variety seems 

 to offer opportunities for hybridizing experi- 

 ments through which other varieties of the plant 

 which at present are of restricted habitat may be 

 made suitable for growth in colder climates. 



In crossing the very small varieties with the 

 very large ones, and the very light-colored with 

 the very dark-colored, one produces the most 

 unusual combinations. Even in the first genera- 

 tion some bushes appear having diminutive 

 fruits and others having unusually large ones; 

 and there is a display of different colors, includ- 

 ing stripes, that is quite beyond prediction. 



