The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1879-12-31
The Spices Of Commerce.
NO. ].
PEPPER.

- 49,
lions, and is peculiarly serviceable to
persons who are Of cold habit, or who
suffer from weak digestion. Used
in moderation, pepper decidedly pro-
notes the appetite and digestion but
it's excessive use tends to vitiate the
gastric juice and injure the stomach,
besides provoking inordinate thirst;
and this remark applies generally to
all spices.
Many OF the natives of India esteem
pepper as a stomachic, and drink
strong infusion OF it in water by way
of creating an appetite. They have
also a method of making iery spirit
of fermented fresh pepper with water
which they use for the same purpose.
The varieties Of pepper which
enter into commerce are Pinang and
Singapore, Tellicherry, Sumatra, NAL
abar, Trang, Siam, and Cochin.
The empire OF Acheen is the chief
producing country for pepper. 1t is,
however, cultivated in various parts
of the island of Sumatra and at Ban
tam. The Malay Peninsula, where
the pepper vine was introduced from
Java, and which produced at one
time about 100000 pounds, now
grows none. The culture, as far as
quantity in concerned, may be said to
be almost restricted, at present, to
the east and west coasts of Sumatra
the production, which used to reach
nearly 100000 pounds annually,
has, however, greatly declined of late
years. but it is probable that when
the civil wars are suppressed it will
again recover.
1t is impossible to arrive at any
precise data with regard to the crops.
in 1879, $4,000 piculs were shipped
to Pinang; in 1878, 100000: and in
1874, $4,000. The blockade of the
Acheen ports by the Dutch cannot
alone have been the cause of this
decrease, else the quantity shipped in
1874 would have been larger than in
1873. Besides the shipments to Pin
ang, there used to be sent, before the
war, about 100000 pounds direct to
Mediterranean ports. In estimating
the entire produce now at about o.
100000 pounds we are not far wrong,
which is more than II 100000 pounds
below the former production.
The pepper that comes to the Ba-
tavia market is received from the
Lampong islands off the Sumatra
shores; the quantity produced there
is estimated at about $4,000 piculs
annually. The crop is plucked in
September and following months,
therefore up to the end Of January
about 1000 piculs reached the Bata-
via market monthly, while from Feb.
ruary to August the monthly receipts
hardly reached 500 piculs.
The pepper produced in the Lam
pong district in 1871 was $4,000
piculs; in 1872, 20,537 piculs. In
1872 the shipments consisted of a.
256 piculs OF white and 3O,695 Of
black pepper.
In 1867 the export of pepper from
Siam all to China, was 1891 piculs,
valued at 22,500L This was not
more than half the usual crop, owing
to severe drought in the pepper dis
tricts on the east coast of the Gulf of
Siam. In 1870 the export was 1854
piculs, valued at $174,SS1. Pepper is
also grown to some extent in Cochin
China, as 4,308 piculs were shipped
from thence in 1871. An export
trade in this article was early fostered
by the French authorities the home
administration, patriarchal ever to.
wards its off shoots, determined to
aid the DEVELOPMENT of its promising
eastern colony, and, among other
things, to induce greater effort 10
be made in the production of pepper.
For this purpose the duties levied in
French ports upon the importation OF
pepper were entirely RENTED in the
case of Cochin China produce, or
what was the same thing, so far as the
home authorities could judge, Saigon
exported produce. The ditferential
duties thus created were very great,
so considerable that it was found
much more profitable to send pepper
up to Saigon, to be there shipped to
France as OF Cochin China growth,
than to send it on at much less ex-
pense and much smaller freight direct
from the Straits. Now, however,
change has been made, and certif
Gates of origin are required upon all
pepper allowed to be exported to
France, and none but such as is de.