eight to ten inches in length, and about an inch and a half in
diameter near the stem or at the broadest part.

With the exception of its larger size, it is similar to the Dwarf; and,
if long cultivated under the influence of short and cool seasons, would
probably prove identical.

It yields abundantly, but is best adapted to the climate of the Middle
and Southern States.

* * * * *

PEPPER.

Capsicum. Capsicum annuum.

Of the Capsicum there are many species, both annual and perennial; some
of the latter being of a shrubby or woody character, and from four to
six feet in height. As they are mostly tropical, and consequently
tender, none but the annual species can be successfully grown in open
culture in the Middle States or New England.

The _Capsicum annuum_, or Common Garden-pepper, is a native of India.
The stalks vary in height from a foot to nearly three feet; the flowers
are generally white or purple; the pods differ in a remarkable degree in
size, form, color, and acridness; the seeds are yellow, nearly circular,
flattened, and, like the flesh or rind of the fruit, remarkable for
their intense piquancy,--nearly forty-five hundred are contained in an
ounce, and their vitality is retained five years.

_Propagation and Cultivation._--The plants are always propagated from
seeds. Early in April, sow in a hot-bed, in shallow drills six inches
apart, and transplant to the open ground when summer weather has
commenced. The plants should be set in warm, mellow soil, in rows
sixteen inches apart, and about the same distance apart in the rows; or,
in ordinary seasons, the following simple method may be adopted for a
small garden, and will afford an abundant supply of peppers for family
use: When all danger from frost is past, and the soil is warm and
settled, sow the seeds in the open ground, in drills three-fourths of an
inch deep, and fourteen inches apart; and, while young, thin out the
plants to ten inches apart in the rows. Cultivate in the usual manner,
and the crop will be fit for use early in September.

_Use._--"The pod, or fruit, is much used in pickles, seasonings, and
made dishes; as both the pod and seeds yield a warm, acrid oil, the heat
of which, being imparted to the stomach, promotes digestion, and
corrects the flatulency of vegetable aliments. The larger and more
common sorts are raised in great quantities, by market gardeners in the
vicinity of populous towns, for