SUMATRA. 
to fell forfome time, at the India fales, for treble the price of the black. 
But it loft this advantage as foon as it came to be known, that the fee ret 
depended merely on the art of blanching the common pepper. For this 
purpofe it is fteeped for a certain time ; about a fortnight ; in water, in 
pits dug for the occalion in the banks of rivers, and fometimes in fwamps 
and ftagnant pools ; till by fwelUng it burHs its tegument^ from which 
it is afterwards carefully feperatcd by drying it in the fun and rubbing it 
between the hands. It has been much difpuced, apd is ftill undetermi- 
ned, to which fort the preference oughc to be given. The white pepper 
has this fuperiority, that: it can be made of no other than the beft and 
foundefl: grains, taken at the propefeft ftate of maturity : but on the 
other hand it is argued, that by being fuffered to fleep the neceiTary time 
in water, its ftrength is confiderably diminilhed. and that the outer huik 
ifihich is Xoil by the procefs, has a peculiar fiavor diftindt from that of 
the heart, and though not fo poignant, more aromatic. The white pep- 
per ftands the Company in about three times the price of the black ; ow- 
ing to the encouragement they were obliged to give the planters to in- 
duce them to deviate from their accuftomed tradt ; but having been fold 
a few years ago at an equal, and 1 believe one feafon at an inferior rate, 
orders were fent out for reftraining the manufa^urc to a vpry fmall 
quantity. 
The feafon of the pepper vines bearing, as well as that of mofl othet 
fruits on Sumatra, is fubjedt to great irrcgulnrkles, c/wing perhaps to the 
uncertainty of the monfoons, which are not there fo ftridtly periodical, 
as on the other fide of India* Generally fpeaking, however, the pepper 
produces two crops in the year j one called the greater crop, (pooped 
augcofig) about the month of September, the other called the lefler or 
half crop {hoM lello) about the month of March.. Sometimes in particular 
diftridts, they will be employed in gathering it in fmall quantities, during 
tiie whole year round ; bloflbms and ripe fruit appearing together on the 
feme vine ; whilft perhaps in others, the produce is that year confined 
to one crop. In Laye refidency, the principal harveft of pepper, in the 
year 1766, was gathered between tha months of Eebruary and May, m 
^1^7 
