VIII 



PEPPERS 305 



It was known as early as 1364, being imported from 

 Liberia to France, but the King of Portugal prevented 

 its importation into Europe, for fear of depreciating the 

 value of Indian pepper (1485). It is used in West 

 Africa locally as a spice, but though it could be had 

 in abundance, should it prove as good as black pepper, 

 it seems to find its way into European markets but 

 seldom. It is not cultivated. 



Cubebs (Piper cubeba, L.), though used as a spice up 

 to 1480, have long been used only as a drug. For this 

 purpose they were very largely cultivated in Java till 

 about 1890 when their use was much diminished, and 

 the cultivation almost died out. As they are now only 

 used as a drug, they are not described in this work. 



APPENDIX TO CHAPTER 



The following accounts of early pepper cultivation in the 

 Straits Settlements are of interest, especially as they are published 

 in works not usually accessible. 



The first is taken from a manuscript account of the plants 

 of Prince of Wales Island (Penang) by Sir William Hunter, 

 written about 1803, and published in the journal of the Straits 

 Branch of the Eoyal Asiatic Society, vol. 53, 1909. It is interest- 

 ing as giving an account of the cultivation practised by the 

 Chinese at that date, with an estimate of the cost of opening up 

 a plantation and the profit. 



The second is a letter by Mr. De Mornay to Major M'Nair, 

 detailing the system practised in Province Wellesley in 1883. It 

 was published in the Government Gazette of the Straits Settlements 

 in August 1884. 



I. Pepper cultivation in Penang, 1803, by Sir W. Hunter. 



1. P. nigrum, black pepper. 



This plant has been so fully described that I have nothing 

 to add on that head. But as it is the most important article of 

 produce on Prince of Wales Island, the manner of cultivation 

 pursued there merits a particular detail. 



It is propagated by cuttings or suckers. These are generally 

 planted at a distance of about 7J ft. ; that is 1,000 plants in an 

 Oorlong, which is a measure of 80 yards square, nearly equal to 

 1J acre. But some experienced cultivators think that the 



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