September, 1009.] 



227 



Edible Products. 



deep loamy and well-drained soil, in a 

 hot and moist climate, and up to 1,500 

 ft. elevation. Being dioecious — that is, the 

 male and female flowers are borne 

 on separate trees — it is impossible to tell 

 to which sex a tree belongs until it 

 flowers. The proportion of one male to 10 

 or 12 female trees (or 10 males to an acre) 

 should be enough for ensuring fertilization 

 of the flowers of the latter. The trees 

 become productive at the age of 7 to 8 years 

 of age, and increase in yield till they reach 

 about 30 years, when the crop may be 3,000 

 to 5,000 or more nuts per tree ; they produce 

 two crops a year, and continue to be pro- 

 ductive for very many years. Trees about 

 70 years old in Peradeniya Gardens bear 

 heavy crops annually. Propagation is usually 

 by seed, which take about three months to 

 germinate. Sow in pots or boxes under 

 cover or in a well-prepared bed in a shady 

 corner, cover with an inch of fine soil, and 

 water daily in dry weather ; artificial shade 

 is beneficial until the seeds are germinated. 

 When the seedlings are old enough to handle, 

 transfer them to baskets or bamboo pots, 

 and plant out in permanent places when 

 8 or 10 inches high, at distances of about 

 30 ft. apart. Owing to the uncertainty of 

 the proportion of male and female plants 

 when raised from seed, propagation by bud- 

 ding or grafting should as far as possible 

 be resorted to. 



Calabash Nutmeg, also called ' ' Jamaica 

 Nutmeg " ( Monodora Myristica, N. O. Anona- 

 cese). — A small tree of Western Tropical 

 Africa, with large leaves and sweet-scented 

 flowers, introduced to Peradeniya in 1897, 

 The large globular fruits contain a number 

 of aromatic seeds whose odour and flavour 

 are considered to resemble those of the nut- 

 meg proper. The tree is suited to the moist 

 low-country, and thrives in moderately good 

 soil. It has not as yet flowered or fruited 

 at Peradeniya. 



There are other so-called nutmegs, which 

 are of little or no importance as a spice, 

 such as the "Brazil Nutmeg " (Cryptocarya 

 moschata, N. 0. Lauracese) ; "Clove Nut- 

 meg" (See "Medagascar Clove"), the 

 Papua Nutmeg (Myristica argentea), and 

 the " Wild Nutmeg " of India and Ceylon 

 (Myristica laiirifolia). 



Pepper, "Black" or "White,"; "Gam- 

 miris," S.; "Molavu," T. (Piper nigrum. 

 N. O. Piperaceae).— A creeping vine indi- 

 genous to the moist low-country forests of 

 Ceylon and South India. Both "black" 

 and "white" peppers are obtained from the 

 same plant. The berries (pepper-corns) 

 when of a reddish colour are picked 

 and spread in the sun, when they become 

 black and shrivelled. This when ground 

 with the outer covering left on, forms 

 'Black-pepper." By depriving the fruits 



or "corns " of the black covering by macer- 

 ation in water, " white-pepper " is obtained. 

 The pepper vine requires a moist heat with 

 shade, and thrives up to 1,500 feet above sea- 

 level. Artificial or natural supports, in the 

 form of posts or trees, are necessary, the 

 latter being preferable and more durable. 

 Erythrina, Mango, Jak and other quick- 

 growing trees answer well the purpose 

 of supports, while they also provide a 

 light shade, which is beneficial. In Sumatra 

 and Malaya posts of some hard and 

 durable wood are generally used for sup- 

 ports. Propagation is best by cuttings, 

 which should be selected from the ends of 

 the best bearing vines, and may either be 

 started in a nursery bed, or put out in situ 

 where they are to remain. A crop may be 

 expected in the third year from planting, 

 but the vines will not be in full bear- 

 ing till the sixth or seventh year. 

 The pepper vine yields two crops a 

 year, and with good cultivation a return 

 of 2,000 to 3,000 lbs. per acre should be 

 obtained, allowing for the plants to be 

 planted 7 feet by 7 feet, or 880 to the acre. 

 The most economical method of Pepper cul- 

 tivation is to grow the vines on trees which 

 are used for shades for other crops, as 

 ''Dadaps"in Tea or Cocoa. Pepper plants 

 will continue to yield good crops for 25 to 

 30 years. The present mai'ket price of 

 pepper in London is from 3|cZ. to id, per lb., 

 and the chief sources of supply are Penang, 

 Sumatra, and Malabar. 



Pepper, Cayenne. — This is made by drying 

 and grinding the smaller and most pungent 

 kinds of chillies, as the fruits of Capsicum 

 annuum and C. frutescens. The Cayenne- 

 pepper of shops is usually adulterated with 

 flour or other powders. 



Pepper, Long— consists of the unripe fruit- 

 ing spike of Piper longum dried in the sun. 

 The plant is a native of India and Ceylon, 

 and is cultivated in parts of India. "Long 

 pepper " is used chiefly in medicine, being less 

 pungent than "black or "white" pepper. 



Pepper, Japan (Xanthoxylon piperitum, 

 N. O. Xanthoxylaceae). — A deciduous tree 

 of Japan, the black aromatic pungent fruits 

 of which resemble pepper-corns, and are 

 used as a spice in Japan. 



Pepper, Negro ; Ethiopian, or West 

 African pepper (Xylopia aromatica, N. O. 

 Anonaceae).— A tall shurb, native of Western 

 Africa, producing clusters of pod-like fruits 

 which are about 2 inches long. These have 

 aromatic and pungent properties, and when 

 dried are used in West Tropical Africa 

 instead of pepper. 



Star Anise (Illicium verum, N. O. Magno- 

 liacese).— -A shrub or small tree, native of 

 Southern China, where it is cultivated for 

 the sake of the fruits, which when ripe burst 

 open and spread out in the form of a star, 



