AFebJruarrVTi9aor4m'}    Examination  of  Commercial  Peppers.  73 
with  a  little  ether,  and  was  then  set  aside  in  a  warm  place,  protected 
from  dust,  until  the  ether  was  evaporated  ;  then  a  current  of  air  was 
conducted  over  the  beaker,  until  all  ethereal  odor  had  been  removed, 
after  which  the  weight  was  taken. 
Piperin. — This  constituent  was  determined  as  follows:  10  gm.  of 
the  ground  pepper  were  exhausted  with  95  per  cent,  alcohol,  the 
percolate  evaporated,  then  solution  of  potassa,  about  100  c.c, 
was  poured  into  the  beaker  and  agitated,  then  set  aside  for  twenty- 
four  hours,  shaking  occasionally  so  as  to  facilitate  the  action  of  the 
alkali  in  dissolving  the  resin  ;  then  the  portion  remaining  undis- 
solved was  collected  on  a  filter,  washed  free  from  alkali  and  dried, 
then  dissolved  in  95  per  cent,  alcohol,  the  alcoholic  solution  filtered 
into  a  weighed  capsule,  the  alcohol  evaporated  and  the  crystals 
weighed,  as  piperin. 
Oleo  resin  was  determined  by  subtracting  the  piperin  found  from 
the  ether  extract. 
The  peppers  examined  will  be  described  in  the  order  of  their 
superiority.  It  is  a  custom  in  the  trade  to  value  them  according  to 
their  weight  per  gallon. 
There  appear  in  the  different  peppers,  grains  which  are  not 
wrinkled  to  any  great  extent,  and  in  which  the  outer  coatings  do 
not  adhere  to  the  inner  layer;  these  will  be  spoken  of  as  un- 
wrinkled  berries. 
The  term  hull,  as  herein  used,  refers  to  the  sarcocarp,  which  has 
been  knocked  off  in  handling.  The  quantity  present  indicates 
usually  the  way  it  is  attached  to  the  perisperm,  whether  it  adheres 
strongly  or  not. 
Singapore  pepper  comes  from  the  island  of  that  name.  It  is 
dark-brown,  a  few  of  the  grains  being  black,  with  the  edges  of  the 
wrinkles  of  a  lighter  brown  or  grayish  color.  Over  95  per  cent,  of 
the  grains  are  fully  mature,  there  being  very  few  of  the  light  or 
pithy  grains  present,  i.  e.y  grains  which  are  all  hull  and  have  no 
perisperm  or  only  a  pithy  interior.  Stems  and  pedicels  are  present, 
but  not  in  excess  of  2  per  cent.  The  grains  are  large,  hard,  and 
have  a  very  fine  flavor.  Hulls  are  present  in  very  small  quantity, 
their  separation  being  due  to  the  handling  of  the  bags  in  which  the 
pepper  is  imported.  The  hull  is  very  difficult  to  remove  from  the 
inside  layer.  The  diameter  of  grains  is  from  3  to  7  mm.,  and 
averages  5  mm. 
