SPICES AND CONDIMENTS. 141 



Specimens from Baltimore mills of very low-quality goods were found 

 to contain but little pepper, and that of the worst quality, being made 

 up of cracker dust, yellow corn, cayenne, and charcoal in so disgraceful 

 a way as to be visible to the unassisted eye on close examination. 



The quality of a ground pepper can be told by an expert from its 

 weight and color, and on examination with a lens of low magnifying 

 power. The particles are not coarsely ground, and it is not difficult to 

 pick out pieces of husk, yellow corn, and rice, and, if necessary, a more 

 careful investigation under a microscope of higher power will serve for 

 confirmation. Black pepper, in our experience, is much more liable 

 to adulteration than white, although it is perfectly easy to dilute the 

 latter with broken rice or cracker dust, which are inexpensive. All 

 these materials, fortunately, owing to the grossnessof the adulteration, 

 are readily recognized, and there is hardly the necessity for recourse to 

 chemical analysis. There has been, however, considerable investiga- 

 tion in this direction, so that there are means of confirming the optical 

 examination which are of great value. Determination of the amount 

 of starch is one of the methods upon which some reliance can be placed ; 

 for, if under the microscope foreign starch is not detected, then the ad- 

 dition of " P. D.' 7 or other starch free adulterants, will diminish the per- 

 centage found, and the reverse. In this way, too, one is able to arrive 

 at an approximate conclusion as to the proportion of adulterants added, 

 which can only be estimated within wide limits under the microscope. 



In spite of the immense amount of adulteration, it is possible, from 

 the best shops, to obtain pure ground peppers, but it is at the same 

 time safer with a family spice-mill to grind the whole berries as they 

 are needed. The sources of our pepper supply are Tellicherry on the 

 west coast of Hindostan, which is graded high, and Penaug and Sing- 

 apore for the east, Sumatra, Java, &c. The importations are princi- 

 pally through London, and not direct. The supply of ground pepper 

 from England will usually be found more pure than our own brands, 

 and at the same time is naturally more expensive. 



CAYENNE OR RED PEPPER. 



This condiment should consist of the ground pods of any of several 

 species of Capsicum, known as chilies or peppers. It is said to have been 

 adulterated with many substances, brick dust, red lead, and coloring 

 matters; but this has only been found to be the case in two cheap Balti- 

 more cayennes, while in Washington only rice has been detected, but 

 that quite frequently. Inferior material is no doubt often ground, but 

 the small value of the pods and the small quantity consumed does not 

 tend to increase adulteration. 



GINGER. 



Ginger is the root, or, technically, rhizome, of a plant somewhat similar 

 in appearance to our iris and flag. It is grown in various parts of tbe 

 world and prepared with great care and great carelessness, being at 



