6o2 
THF TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST, 
[February 2, 1891. 
and between warrant weights and re-weights, would 
add 4d. to |d- pet lb. for expenses, without any pro- 
fit to the wholesale dealer. The usual charge for 
grinding and barrel.s is ^d. per lb., and there is a 
considerable loss between warrant and delivery weights, 
and a further loss of weight in grinding. In our 
opinion, Penang Pepper with 2 per cent, to 3 per 
cent, of dust is the lowest quality which it is desirable 
to grind, if the public are to have pure Pepper. The 
first cost without profit to the dealer of this quality 
iust now is about 5Jd. to G|d. per lb., ground and 
packed in 1 owk barrels. The finer qualities of Black 
Pepper, such as ToUicherry, Alleppy, and MBabar are 
selling whole on the Market at 6Jl.to6^d. per Ib. 
If barrels are seperatelv charged for (which is not, 
however, usual iu the Spice trade), a corresponding 
reduction could be made in the quoted price. 
It is well for the retail trade to have these undoubted 
facts clearly in view, for, with the infinitesinial 
difference the sale of doubtful Pepper could possibly 
make to them in the course of tho year, the ri^k of a 
prosecution, and possible conviction, for selling adul- 
terated goods, is obviously not worth running : even if 
they desired to take such a risk, which is not the case 
by any means. Indeed, in the “poivrette” and other 
cases[ the retailers undoubte ily bought iu entire 
ignorance of the adulteration. Nor would a guarantee 
from the wholesale grind rs or dealers that the Pt-pper 
was pure be much sitisfaotiou to n self-respecting man 
if he fnund that adultmated Pepier h d been S' ld to 
him, under tite proper pries fo>- a geuuine article. 
Ib is true that, in-st.-ad of selliog Gr.und Pepper 
at Jd. to fd. per lb. above the cost of tiie whole onru\ 
which is the lowest legitimate margin. Ground Pepptr 
is habitually sold at about lid. p-r lb. the first 
coat of the whole, or apparently about IJd. under its 
proper lelativo value. Whfn buyers purchase Ground 
Pepper at prices apparrntly below those that are 
practicable, it would be a good plan if they asked for 
samples of the Whole Pepper used, and ii.sisted on 
being supplied at the same time with an equivalent 
parcel of whole Pepper, et say, id. under the 
ground price. Such quotations are explained by 
the parcel consisting wholly, or in great part, of the 
hnsks given by the process of decortication of Back 
Pepper. These are prodticed when the outer shell of 
Black Pepper is mechanically remove 1 in order to 
make White Pepper from the Black Pepper corns. How 
far the sale of ground husks as round Black Pepper, 
is legal, without a declaration to that effect, has not been 
settled nor has ib been decided whether the public ana- 
lysts would pass husks as Pepper. The husks in any case 
must contain a very much greiter percentage of the diit 
that was originally in the parcels, and the buyers would 
thus run more risk with them than with parcels ground 
from the whole Pepper as imported. In the meantime the 
retail grocers may feel perfectly certain that if they are 
offered ground BLack Pepper, at presect market values, 
under fid. to 6J. per lb., that it is either sold at a loss, 
or that dirty whole Pepper has been used, or that 
huaks have been mixed with it, or that it consists of 
husks altogether. In the present state of the law there 
seems no objection to the admixture of husks, so long 
as the buyer knows the fact. 
It is satisfactory to find that the action taken some 
time back has stopped the admixture and a iulteratiou 
of White Pepper with the so-called “Long” Pepper, 
The price of tho latter has fallen to about 25s. per cwt., 
at which under, its own name, tlie Spice in question 
has a legitimate sale and use. When used for adul- 
teration tho value was run up to 70s. 
A good deal of almost open adultoration, i.s still 
carried on by mixing ground Eice, worth say I.id, to 
tJ^d. jier lb,, with Wliito Pepper. This admixture if 
carried to any great extent cau be detected by the dirty, 
greyish tint, and also by the weight of the sample, 
ground Hire being heavier than pure Peppe*. A strong 
magi-iiylng glass or weak microocope at once shows 
this adulteration, as the Eioe grains look like bits of 
quartz or camphor in tho Pejipcr. A further tost 
18 to pour boiling water on two samples, one tlio 
nspected one, and ono of real ground White Pepper. 
Tho difference in the aroma of a sainjile adulterated 
with Rice Flour cau at once be detected, and the latter 
also often goes into a starchy pulp or into a mure 
solid mass . — Produce Markets' Review. 
^ 
BCHOEa OF SCIENCE. 
Whether or not a plant draws the nitrogen it requires 
to form its tissues directly from the atmosphere, is 
a question wliich has been much debated. Herreu 
Hellriegc-1 and Wiifarth, two German chemists, have 
already shown that seeds sown in calcined soil produce 
only puny plants, having little nitrogen in their 
substance, but if they are water d with a few drops 
which have drained from a vegetable mould they begin 
to prosjier, and reorete nitrogen which apparently can 
only come from tho atmosphere. The water supplies 
it appears, the microbe necessary to abstract the 
nitrogf-n from the air. M M. Schloesing and Laurent, 
two skilful French chemists, have now jiut the qusBtion 
beyond all reasonable doubt by a memoir read before 
the Academie des Sciences, I’aris. 
They Lave found by careful experiments on plants 
grown in a confined atmosp ere, tint these abstracted 
I itregen from the air around them to the extent of 
30 cubic centimetres, and analysis of the plants 
lirao'ic.lly rendered this qiiau itv back acain. M. 
Lauiv-nt has also succeeded n cullivatin.' ihe micr' be 
woich fi.x. 8 the ni rog n and deflu it ■• e conOitioug 
of iis existence. The mo.st uu xp en d iu,ct broug.it 
out is that this pro'.o-i rg .msin fl -hes ebove -.11 
iu a medium d-'pnved of n.irogtn in coinhinanon ; 
nitrat-'S in purticnlar appear to hinder us uevi-lupmout. 
— Globe, 
♦ 
NOTES ON POPULAR SCIENCE. 
By De. J. E. Tatlob, f.ls,, f.g.s., &c., 
Editor of “Science Gossip.” 
There is only one agent we are acquainted with 
which will in a great degree replace the energy 
produced by the consumption of coal — electeicity. At 
present wo generate it chiefly from coal, although it 
can of course be produo. d by chemical action. But 
there are certa n great mechanical forces in the w.-rld, 
generated by solar energy now, just as coal originally 
was. The first of these is the wind. Few people 
have formed an idea of it.s enormous and as yet 
unused energy, except in the case of our ancient and 
picturesque windmill. But the windmill is an aichaeo- 
logical suggestion of a future rescue. Imagine a head 
of wind a mile across and a hundred feet in height — 
the latter a mere trifle. Then multip'y this bv the 
force moving over the p.Rh it takes. There are millions 
of borse-powtr represented thereby. Irregular m its 
action though the wind is proverbially said to be, 
our storage batteries (as yet but in the inl'aucy of 
their development) can accumulate much of this now 
almost wasted energy. The latter can he stored and 
drawn upon at pleasure. Further, think of the as yet 
almost unused energy repreieuted by streams, especially 
tidal rivers. One of our chief electrical engineers has 
shown that toe phenomenally high tide of the Severn, 
coming ami going twice a day, represents more energy 
than all the cotton mills iu Lancashire and Yorkshire. 
The Americans have already commercially and scienti- 
fically formulated a scheme for utilising Niagara. Some 
day, perhaps, somebody will formulate a method for 
enlisting the energy of the tide.s all over the world 
iu the service of man, Tne energy represented by the 
vast consumption of coal every year in every part 
of the globe is a mare trifle compared with the energy 
of moving wind, flowing streams, descending water- 
falls and cataracts, and the always certain ebbing and 
flowing tides. A French engineer is already m.aking 
propo,sitious to supply electric power to Paris by 
utilisiog the ebbing and flowing tides of the coast ; 
and ho is constructing, at Havre, two large basins, 
into cue of which the sea at flood-tide will flow 
over a dam, whilst during ebb it will flow out of the 
