PEPPER. 233 



PEPPER. 



Capsicum. Capsicum annuum. 



The Capsicum annuum, or Common Garden-pepper, is a 

 native of India. The stalks vary in height from a foot to 

 nearly three feet ; the flowers are generally white or purple ; 

 the pods differ in a remarkable degree in size, form, color, 

 and acridness ; the seeds are yellow, nearly circular, flat- 

 tened, and, like the flesh or rind of the fruit, remarkable 

 for their intense piquancy. Nearly forty-five hundred are 

 contained in an ounce, and their vitality is retained five years. 



Propagation and Cultivation. The plants are always 

 propagated from seeds. Early in April, sow in a hot-bed, 

 in shallow drills six inches apart, and transplant to the open 

 ground when summer weather has commenced. The plants 

 should be set in warm, mellow soil, in rows sixteen inches 

 apart, and the same distance apart in the rows ; or, in ordi- 

 nary seasons^the following simple method may be adopted 

 for a small garden, and will afford an abundant supply of 

 peppers for family use : When all danger from frost is past, 

 and the soil is warm and settled, sow the seeds in the open 

 ground, in drills three-fourths of an inch deep, and fourteen 

 inches apart ; and, while young, thin out the plants to ten 

 inches apart in the rows. Cultivate in the usual manner, 

 and the crop will be fit for use early in September. 



Use. " The pod, or fruit, is much used in pickles, sea- 

 sonings, and made dishes, as both the pod and seeds yield a 

 warm, acrid oil, the heat of which, being imparted to the 

 stomach, promotes digestion, and corrects the flatulency of 

 vegetable aliments. The larger and more common sorts are 

 raised in great quantities, by market-gardeners in the vicin- 

 ity of populous towns, for the supply of pickle warehouses." 



Species and Varieties. Plant two feet and Bell-Pepper 

 upwards in height, stocky and branching; 

 flowers white, sometimes measuring nearly an 

 inch and a half in diameter. 



