Of the former, Hankow took 24,805 piculs (of In/ lb.), vane 49,920/., in 1879 ; Kinkfang, 5143 ; Newchwang, 1435 ; Ningpo, 1257; Shanghai, 2737.
Whole black pepper is seldom or never adniterated in Europe ; but in India, the berries of Embelia [Samara] Ribes, are often mixed with the spice for sale in the bazaars. Ground pepper, on the other hand, is frequently sophisticated with starches and other matters detectable with the microscope, despite the very heavy penalty (100/.) Which has been in force since 1819. The approximate London market values of black pepper are :-1VIalabar, 3-/-5/d. a lb. ; Aleppy and Tellicherry, 3/-5id. ; Penang, ; Singapore, 3/-4id.
2. White Pepper.—This is produced by the same plant as the black pepper, and is prepared by allowing the berries to ripen, keeping therm for 3 days in the house after gathering, washing and bruising them in a basket with the hand till the stalks and pulp are removed, and then drying the white seeds. It is said that the lives of the vines are endangered by allowing the fruit to ripen on them. Sometimes white pepper is prepared from black by removing the dark outer layer of pericarp. The article is most largely prepared in the Straits, but the finest is produced in Tellicherry. China is the great market for it. Singapore exported 48,460 piculs (of 135/ lb.) in 1877. In 1879, Hankow imported 250 piculs, 835/. ; NIngpo, 23 piculs; Shang,hai, 357 plaids. The Londcm market value of white pepper is about 41-7d. a lb.
3. Long Pepper.—This is the fruit-spike of Piper long= [Chavica Roxburghii] and of P. [C.] officinarum, collected and dried shortly before it reaches maturity. The latter is a native of the Indian Archipelago (Java, Sumatra, Celebes, and Timor). The former is indigenous to Malabar, Ceylon, E. Bengal, Timor, and the Philippines, and is cultivated along the E. and W. coasts of India. In Bengal, the plants are raised from suckers set 5 ft. apart in rich, high, dry soa The yield from an acre is 3 mounds (of 80 lb.) in the 1st year, 12 in the 2ud, 18 in the 3rd ; after this, the return diminishes, and the roots are grubbed up, dried, and sold as The pepper is harvested in January, and thoroughly sun-dried. lt is brought from Java and Rhio to Singapore and Penang for re-export. Singapore shipped 3366 cwt. in 1871, 447 being to the United Kingdom. Penang
despatches 2000-3000 piculs (of 135/ lb.) yearly. The Loudon market value is 37-45s. a cwt.
4. Ashantee or W. African Pepper.—This spice, sometimes called also " African cubebs," is the fruit of Piper [Cubeba] Clusii, widely distributed in Tropical Africa, most abundantly in the Niam niam country, about 4° to 5° N. lat. and 28° to 29° E. long. It is locally used as a substitute for common black pepper, and could be procured in large quantity.
The essential oils of pepper and other species of Piper are described on pp. 1420, 1424, 1425.
Pimento, Allspice, or Jamaica Pepper (Fa., Piment des Anglais, Toute-epice, Poivre la Jamaigue ; GER., Nelk,enpfeffer, Nelhenkdpfe, Neugmairz).—These names are applied to the, immature fruits of Pimenta officinalis [Myrtus, Eugenia Pimenta], an evergreen tree af 30 ft., found in some of the W. Indies. The so-called " walks " of these trees, which afford the whole of the spice found hi commerce, occupy the limestone hills on the north side of Jamaica. The range of the tree ie. curiously limited, nearly all attempts to grow it where it is not found spontaneously fail completely. The only way of forming a new walk is to cut down the other growth found upon land where pimento-trees are growing naturally, thus giving scope for their multiplication. The harvest or " breaking " takes place in July-August, the branches bearing clusters of the fruit being broken off by hand, and the berries subsequently sun-dried, stalked, fanned, and bagged for export. The breaking of the branches serves as a rude kind of pruning. The yield of some trees reaches 150 lb. raw, or 1 cwt. dry. There are curious fluctuations in the returns of the acreages under pimento : thus, 7178 acres in 1871, 1392 in 1874, 2363 in 1875-6, 969 in 1877-8 exclusive of trees growing wild on the pasture-lands. The highest export reached was 6,857,830 lb., 28,574 /., in 1870-1; in 1877-8, it was 6,195,109 lb. About come to England, and / goes to the United States. The London market value is about 4/-6d. a lb. for middling to good, and 4/-51d. for ordinary.