Jan. 1907. 1 



25 



Edible Products. 



Cultivation.— Frequent cultivation is necessary until the plants get too large 

 to allow of a cultivator and horse passing between the rows. All weeds must be 

 pulled out. When the plants are set as above noted, all the ridges will be on one 

 side. This must be worked down with a cultivator, and then a plough used to throw 

 earth on either side of the furrow, so that the plants will be midway on the ridge. 



Irrigation.— While the plants are small, water will be needed about once 

 in 20 days, but as they get larger it will be needed as often as once a week, though 

 only in small quantities. The plant seems to have no deep roots ; consequently, 

 the surface soil must be kept damp. 



Picking.— The field should be gone over about once a week after the peppers 

 begin to ripen, all that are fully ripe being taken off. Great care must be exercised 

 to pick all the stem with the pepper. They should be allowed to lie in the sun one 

 day after being picked, in order to toughen the stems and prevent them breaking 

 during the process of curing. 



Stringing.— The common method is to cut strings of strong smooth twine 

 8J; feet long. Draw this through a needle about 12 inches long, which is often made 

 of a bicycle spoke. Peppers having any break or blemish must be thrown away, as 

 they would decay before drying properly. Of course, where an evaporator is used 

 these can be saved. After the strings are full and tied they are hung on nails driven 

 into a rough pole or other frame work, standing about (i feet from the ground, and 

 left until dry ; or, if shelter is available, they may be moved before becoming fully 

 dry, and hung closely together under such shelter, but where there is a free 

 circulation of air. 



Evaporating.— Many growers prefer evaporating instead of drying. The 

 evaporaters used are of various designs and sizes, but they should be large enough 

 when the peppers are dried on strings to hold not less than 500 strings. The usual 

 plan is to have a furnace with several turns of 8 to 10 inch pipe in the basement, the 

 peppers being placed in the second story over a very open floor with a good ventila- 

 tion. The temperature must be kept at 110 degrees Fahr., and in this way the house 

 can be refilled about every four days. 



Yield and Price.— B o th of these, of course, vary with the season, soil, and 

 water supply. Two hundred and fifty strings of 5 lb. each is called a paying crop ; 

 but, with all conditions favourable, including a late, warm season, as high as four 

 hundred strings or even 2,400 lb. per acre of dried peppers may be grown. Prices 

 range from 70 cents to 1*50 dollars per string if sun-dried, and 15 to 25 cents per lb. if 

 evaporated,— Q uee nsland Agricxdtural Journal, 



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