duction in price. About this time, also, 

 began the extensive cultivation of pepper 

 in the Malay peninsula. 



The black pepper is the unripe, dried 

 fruit of the pepper plant. The white pep- 

 per consists of the ripened fruits from 

 which the pulpy pericarp has been re- 

 moved. It is not nearly as pungent as 

 the black pepper, but it has a more deli- 

 cate aroma. Occasionally the dried black 

 pepper is "decorticated" by blowing, thus 

 giving the "corns" a smooth appearance 

 resembling the white pepper. This is a 

 very absurd proceeding, as by this process 

 the most spicy portions are removed. The 

 quality of the pepper is almost propor- 

 tionate to the weight of the corns; the 

 lighter the poorer the quality. After the 

 fruits are dried they should be carefully 

 winnowed to remove light grains and all 

 refuse. Very frequently these winnow- 

 ings are ground and placed on the mar- 

 ket. Adulteration of pepper is quite com- 

 mon, especially when ground. A wise 

 plan is never to purchase ground spices. 

 Buy them whole and grind them at home 

 or have them ground before your eyes. 

 Good whole peppers should sink in water 

 and should not crumble between the fin- 

 gers. 



There are several commercial varieties 

 of pepper, as Malabar, Penang, Batavia, 

 etc., differing considerable in quality. 



The pungent taste of pepper is due to 

 a resin and the odor is due to an ethereal 

 oil. Besides these there is present an al- 

 kaloid known as piperin. 



The chief use of pepper is that of a 

 spice, added principally to meats, but also 

 to other food substances. Its use is, how- 

 ever, less now than it was during the lat- 

 ter part of the Middle Ages. So extensive 

 was the dealing in pepper that the English 

 grocers of the time were known as pep- 

 perers. It was very liberally used with all 

 meats, especially chopped or sausage 

 meats. It was used as snuff or added to 

 snuff tobacco to increase its effectiveness. 

 It is still highly prized as an aid to diges- 

 tion. Applied externally it is used as a 

 counterirritant in skin diseases. Italian 

 physicians recommend it highly in ma- 

 larial diseases. 



Description of Plate — A, flowering 

 twig; i, portion of spike; 2, ovary with 

 stamens ; 3, stamens ; 4, young fruit; 5, 6, 

 portions of spike (colors are wrong, 5 

 should be red and 6 should be green) ; 7, 

 8, fruit. Albert Schneider. 



MARCH. 



March, thou bully grim and gruff, 

 Ever grumbling, hoarse, and rough! 

 Always howling at the door 

 Of the rich man or the poor; 

 Screaming words that do not reach — 

 Words unlike our human speech. 

 Down the hollow chimney-bore, 

 Hark the raging tyrant's roar! 

 Beat not with thy sleety flail, 

 Or the keen lash of thy hail, 

 Infant Spring, that tender child, 

 Frightened when thou even smiled. 



Cruel March, Sir! 



— Walter Thornbury. 



14-4 



