452 



The soil of the beds is worked up fine and banked up, and two 

 holes are made on either side of the bed about to 2 feet apart, 

 giving from 50 to 60 plants to a bed. Cow-dung is put in each hole 

 and the plants are planted therein and soil raked over the cow-dung 

 to the bases of the plants. Liquid manure is given once a week, or 

 oftener. Urine is often used in the proportions ot three parts of 

 urine to two of water when the plants are young and two parts of 

 urine to three of water later. Pig-dung is also used when procurable ; 

 over manuring is to be avoided, but the plants can take a good deal 

 of liquid manure. The weeds have to be removed from the beds from 

 time to time. Plants commence fruiting in three months and go on 

 bearing for seven more. The fruit are picked when fully red, unless 

 green capsicums are wanted for pickling. 



Excessive rain in injurious, and often spoils the crop to a con- 

 siderable extent. The actual cause of this is a fungus which attacks 

 theipod and which is most prevalent in continued rainy weather. The 

 fungus is a species of Gloeosporium ( G. piperatum), a plant allied to, 

 if not the same, as the ripe sort of apples. It causes brown spots of 

 decay, firm to the feel, eventually developing pinkish pustules, be- 

 coming black. 



The common Capsicum fungus in Singapore is either this species 

 described by Tubeuf or an allied one. Itiappears as an oval or circular 

 blotch gradually spreading, at first black, but as the tissue destroyed 

 dries, brown with a black edge. The epidermis is cracked dry and 

 elevated, finally, the whole fruit dries up and is worthless. 



The diseased pods should be removed, and the plants and ground 

 disinfected with Bordeaux mixture. 



It is not easy to discover what amount of pods can be obtained 

 per acre in the Straits Settlements, as the Chinese are very vague 

 upon this point. In Montserrat, in the West Indies, a return of 

 4850 lbs. of fresh capsicums, 2921 lbs. when dry, is given as a good 

 return, but this seems much too high for an average return. As a 

 catch-crop they ought to pay well in the neighbourhood of a town or 

 a largely populated native district, where they could be sold fresh. 



In Singapore dried Chilis are seldom prepared, unless when the 

 crop is large or there is an overstock. They are dried in the sun, 

 exposed on mats or in trays. Locally-dried Chilis, however, are not 

 popular with the natives here, probably from carelessness in drying 

 and the absence often of enough sunheat. It is possible also to dry 

 them with fire heat or in a desiccator and I have seen good samples 

 prepared by careful heating over a fire. 



The native, however, does not seem to care about kiln dried 

 Chilis preferring sun-dried, still, there should be a fair sale for well 

 prepared samples ; near market there would probably be a better sale 

 for the fresh fruit, and in such a locality it might pay very well to 

 grow Chilis as a catch-crop. — Ed. 



