The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1874-03-26
About Pepper.

The most familiar spice, the one long
est known to the civilized world, and
the most largely used among all classes,
is pepper. Even the ancients, we learn
from history, knew and appreciated its
virtues.
The are, at least, eighty species of
plants, pronounced by botanical author
tiles to belong to the pepper family, but
Of these the fruits of only a few are re
cognized to be of sufficient value to
make them worth cultivation. These
varieties are the black QrOm a COM
mercial point of view the most impor.
tant of the family, the long and the
cayenne.
The black pepper is the fruit Of
vine, indigenous to Iudia and the East
India Islands generally. IL not inter
fered with it grows to a height of twen-
ty feet, but is found to yield more abun-
dantlY when restrained TO twelve. It is
often trained on poles. like beans, but
more frequently around small trees,
which are planted for that purpose, for
it is a shadow loving plant. The leaf
is broad, OYate, and gray-mottled on
the under side, and the fruit or berry
hangs in long, slender clusters from the
branches, each cluster being composed
of from twenty to fifty pepper-berries.
When ripe, these berries are of itch
deep red, becoming black on being pick
ed and dried. The picking Is done by
rubbing the punches between the
hands until the fruit is separated, when
it is at once put on mats in the sun 10
dry, during which operation IL becomes
hard and shriveIed, as it is when It
reaches us. If the gathering Is delayed
until the fruit is over-ripe, it Injuries
the quality of the pepper materially,
hence the rule among planters to gather
when tue first red berries appear ON
the punches. There are two crops an
nually, but the season is irregular.
MalabRr pepper is considered superb
or to ali others but there IA little actual
difference between it and the pepper
raised in SumatTa and other islands.
The best black pepper should be pun
gent and aromatic IN odoE, hot and ac-
rid IN taste, berry large and Sd firm and
sound that it Will not break into frag-
ments on being rubbed between the
hands. 1t should be as free from wrink
les as possible, and OF q brownish-black
color. Small broken berries which
ciumble easily in the hands are not
good stock, and should be by all means
rejected.
What We call 81 white pepper " is real
IL no more than black pepper stepped
10 water until thoroughly mOistensa,
and then stripped OF its skin as this
skin contains a great proportion of the
pungent acid flavor, the removal Of il
makes the white pepper GO e2ued)
much miider. T Chinese prize this
pepper very highly, and use it almost
exclusively.
Long pepper Is another variety Of
which very little Is now imported; for
merly it was mach used in pharmacy
but latterly cayenne has taken Its place.
It is gathered while still green, and
when dry becomes dark gray IN eoicF.
II Is imported IN the spikes, which are
al,out an inch long. The root Of fhis
speoies has areiA medicinal virtues, aad
is highly prized on that account BY the
native Hindoos,
CAYENNE PEPPER belongs 10 a different
botanical family and is confined 10 q
different sphere. It is = native Of the
West Indies, and Of late has been con
sideEed a commercial product of great
importance, but Il can never supply the
place Of black pepper IN the trade.
The opening Of free trade III the east
gave great impulse 70 the pepper
trade, ns. indeed, was very natural, the
tax in 1923 having been actually si1