PEPPER. 
27 
"Our  Malayan  Possessions,"  illustrating  the  ignorance  of  the 
directors  of  companies  of  the  products  or  basis  of  the  company's 
operations.  The  story  runs  somewhat  in  the  following  manner  : — 
The  directors  of  a  Bencoolen  pepper  plantation,  alert,  as  they 
should  be,  to  the  interests  of  the  shareholders,  finding  that  white 
pepper,  which  commanded  a  higher  price  than  black,  had  as 
ready  a  sale,  and  was,  therefore,  more  profitable,  immediately 
sent  orders  to  the  manager  of  their  plantation  for  greater  care 
to  be  bestowed  upon  the  plants  yielding  white  pepper  than  those 
yielding  black,  this  must  have  been  highly  amusing  to  the 
growers  themselves. 
The  black  pepper  vine  is  indigenous  to  the  forests  of  Malabar 
and  Travancore.  Its  cultivation  is  very  simple,  and  is  effected 
by  cuttings  or  suckers  put  down  before  the  commencement  of 
the  rains  in  June.  The  soil  should  be  rich,  but  if  too  much 
moisture  be  allowed  to  accumulate  near  the  roots,  the  young 
plants  are  apt  to  rot.  In  three  years,  the  vine  begins  to  bear. 
They  are  planted  chiefly  in  hilly  districts,  but  thrive  well 
enough  in  the  low  country,  in  the  moist  climate  of  Malabar. 
They  are  usually  planted  at  the  base  of  trees  which  have  rough 
or  prickly  bark,  such  as  the  jack,  the  erythrina, .  cashew-nut, 
mango-tree,  and  others  of  similar  description.  They  will  climb 
about  twenty  or  thirty  feet,  but  are  purposely  kept  lower  than 
that.  During  their  growth,  it  is  requisite  to  remove  all  suckers, 
and  the  vine  should  be  pruned,  thinned,  and  kept  clear  of 
weeds. 
The  berries  must  be  plucked  before  they  are  quite  ripe,  and, 
if  too  early,  they  will  spoil.  The  pepper  vine  is  very  common 
in  the  hilly  districts  of  Travancore,  especially  in  the  Cottayan, 
Meenachel,  and  Chengaracherry  districts,  where,  at  an  average 
calculation,  about  5,000  candies  (of  500  lb.  each)  are  produced 
annually.  It  is  one  of  the  Sircar  monopolies.  It  may  not  be 
irrelevant  to  mention  here  the  P.  trioicum,  Roxb.,  which  both 
Dr.  Wright  and  Megnel  consider  to  be  the  original  type  of  the 
P.  nigrum,  and  from  which  it  is  scarcely  distinct  as  a  species. 
The  question  will  be  set  at  rest  by  future  botanists.  The  species 
in  question  was  first  discovered  by  Dr.  Roxburgh,  growing,  wild 
in  the  hills  north  of  Samulcottah,  where  it  is  called,  in  Teloogoo, 
the  "Merial-tiga." 
