Pepper

a climbing shrub native to India. The pungent berry is used as a spice. Pepper is now cultivated quite generally in tropical countries. It is propagated by cuttings and comes into full bearing in about four years. The bright red berries are about the size of peas. When the bunches of berries begin to ripen they are gathered like grapes and laid in the sun to dry. The wrinkled dried berries, winnowed free from dust and bits of stems, are the black pepper of commerce. White pepper is obtained by freeing the dried berries from an outer covering. Cayenne or red pepper is the peppery pod of another plant entirely. The cultivation of the pepper plant does not differ particularly from that of the grape vine. It will climb, if permitted, to a height of twenty feet, but it bears best if kept down to a height of ten or twelve feet. Suckers and side shoots are pruned, and the vines are pruned as in grape culture. Two crops a year are gathered. Ten pounds of green pepper produce four pounds of dry. Singapore is the chief pepper market of the world. The United States is the most liberal buyer--20,000,000 pounds a year. Pepper is used not only to season cookery, but it is employed by the packers extensively as a preservative in curing meats. See Spice