SOLANACEOUS CROP PROJECTS 83 



8. Marketing. — The fruits should be packed in clean, attrac- 

 tive crates or baskets. Sometimes they are wrapped in tissue 

 paper. 



1. How should eggplants be marketed? 



2. What are the chances for profit ? 



Project III. Growing Peppers 



Peppers belong to the potato family. In cultivation the com- 

 mon pepper behaves as an annual, but in warm climates it is often 

 biennial. The species is not known in the wild state, but it is 

 generally believed to be a native of tropical America. 



Peppers form erect plants that may become woody at the base. 

 The leaves are comparatively small and entire. The fruit is a 

 berry, red, yellow, or green in color, and varying in shape from 

 globular to heart-shaped and cylindrical. The seeds are numerous. 

 The principle imparting the pungent taste is known as capsaicin, 

 which is located in the smaller varieties in the fleshy part of the fruit 

 and in the larger ones chiefly about the seeds. Cayenne pepper 

 is made by grinding up the whole fruit. In the squash varieties, 

 which are used as "mangoes," the fleshy part of the fruit is of a 

 mild flavor. Peppers are used as condiments and food, and some 

 varieties are used for ornamental purposes. The numerous com- 

 mercial varieties may be placed in seven botanical varieties or 

 types, distinguished especially by the size, shape, and other char- 

 acteristics of the fruit. 



1. What is meant by the terms annual and biennial as applied to 



plants ? 



2. How do pepper fruits vary ? 



3. Where is the peppery taste located ? 



