376 SPICES 



CHAP. 



ally as they only take five months, April to August, 

 in Europe. 



Of course, much depends on the climate in the damp, 

 hot, equatorial rain forest region of the tropics ; the 

 growth of all plants is more rapid than in a country 

 with dry seasons or a lower temperature. In the hotter 

 and damper countries from two to three months, and 

 in dryer or colder climates four or five is approximately 

 what may be looked for. 



RETURNS 



The returns of capsicums and bird's-eye chilies are 

 very variously given. A planter in Central Africa, as 

 mentioned above, says he got more than 1 Ib. weight 

 per plant, but from 2 to 3 and even 4 Ibs. is said to be 

 a good production. These figures are for bird's-eye 

 chilies. 



In Montserrat, the Natal variety of Capsicum 

 annuum gave 2,921 Ibs. per acre dry, weighing when 

 picked 4,850 Ibs., the Nepal variety 2,710 Ibs., weighing 

 7,396 Ibs. when fresh. 



Mukerji says that the yield per acre in India is 

 from 6 to 15 maunds (a maund is 28 Ibs.), which sell 

 at 4 to 7 rupees each, giving a value of 24 to 105 rupees 

 per acre, on a cost of production of 50 rupees per acre ; 

 not a very good business, and, as he says, unless a tract 

 is known to be particularly adapted for chilies, it is 

 risky growing this crop for profit. 



PRICES 



The price of bird's-eye chilies dried in London varies 

 from 18 to 34 per ton according to their quality and 

 the state of the market. Thus, in August 1900, fair 

 red Zanzibar sold at 39 : 10s. per ton, good red Japan 

 at 33 : 10s. per ton. A sample from the West Indies 

 fetched 20 per ton. 



Fresh chilies in Ceylon are worth on the land 10 



