The process is as follows: The black pepper may be kept in the house for several days and then bruised or washed in a basket to remove the stalk and pulpy matter, after which it is dried in the sunshine before shipping. It is also prepared by steeping in water in which it has been allowed fully to ripen and then removing the outer coat by friction. The natives also remove the outer layer by placing the ripest red grains in running water or in pits made near the river bank or in stagnant pools. Sometimes it is only buried in the ground, and when it has been under this treatment for about one week it will swell and burst the outer husk, which is then easily removed by rubbing with the hands while it is drying in the sunshine. After being winnowed it is ready for export. Another way of preparing white pepper, often used, is to place the black pepper in a solution of chloride of lime water to remove the dark coating, after which it is rubbed and dried as in the other preparation. Although the white pepper has the name of being a superior article, it is not. It is very true that only the marrow of the black pepper berries can be used to make white pepper, and the product does have an exquisite flavor; but since the greater strength lies in the outer cover, there is some doubt as to the quality of the white pepper. Moreover, the real goodness of the pepper is, in fact, not improved by this process, as the water injures its strength, the outer husk contains more of the aroma, and the quality of the pepper removed is almost proportionate to the weight of the pepper corn. The only gain obtained is in the appearance, and this process is but another way of meeting the public demand for something to please the eye, instead of the palate. White pepper brings a higher price to the grower, but when the waste and extra labor are considered it is seen that the grower’s profits are largely reduced. White pepper corns allowed to ripen fully are larger than black and can be reduced to a powder more readily, and will present a more uniform appearance. China and the Straits Settlement export much of the cheaper white pepper found in our market and much of it comes from the island of Rhio, and it is imported in the whole. Chemical composition of white pepper: Water, 8.0 to 11.0 Ash, 1.0 to 2.0 Volatile Oil, .50 to 1.75 Piperine and Resin, 7.0 to 8.0 Starch, 40.0 to 44.0 Crude Fiber, 4.11 to 8.0 Albuminoids, 8.0 to 10.0 By mixing one part ground white pepper with two parts of slacked lime and a sufficient quantity of water, and evaporating the solution to dryness in a water bath, the powder being exhausted with commercial ether, piperine can be obtained nearly pure in large crystals of a faint straw color.