FENNEL. 181 



a green state, and allowed to lie on the ground for a few days. 

 The yield per acre varies greatly, 7201b. being considered a fair 

 average. In the gardens in the Deccan it is sown at any time. 

 The probable total yearly crop of India is estimated at 13,000 

 maunds. 



The yield of volatile oil from Indian fruit has been estimated 

 at 3 per cent. 



The principal amount of Fennel fruit sent to the Bombay market 

 is from Jubbulpore, Kupperwanj and Khandesh, and has increased 

 in value during the past ten years, thus, according to published 

 statistics, the total exports in 1881-82 were 2201 cwt., in 1887-88, 

 they were 4353 cwt., valued at I^ 31260. Almost the whole 

 quantity was exported from Bombay in the latter year, viz., 4337 

 cwt., Madras sending 15 cwt., and Scinde 1 cwt. Of that total, 

 Great Britain received only 221 cwt., France 957 cw^t., Belgium 

 and Austria each 200 cwt. The rest went to Eastern ports. 



The best varieties of Fennel, such as the " Sweet " and the 

 " German," yield from 3 to 4 per cent, of essential oil. 



Under the name of " Anise " a sample of Japanese Fennel was 

 introduced into the market in 1889, which, although it had the 

 aroma and taste of Fennel, presented an extraordinary similarity 

 to Anise in the form and size of the grain. Any doubt that might 

 at first have existed, was removed by the aspect of the plants that 

 resulted from sowing some of the seed. According to Eein, the 

 Japanese Fennel is derived from the same species as the European, 

 F. Vulgare, Goertner {F. ccqnllacetwi, Gilbert), and is much used in 

 Japan. 



Oil of Fennel possesses considerable rotatory power ; this pro- 

 perty however, varies much in the different commercial oils, that 

 of oil of sweet fennel exhibiting it to by far the greatest extent ; 

 in all of them, however, it is dextrogyre. The rotatory power was 

 found to be due entirely to the liquid hydrocarbon contained in 

 them ; hence, in proportion to the quantity of this in the different 

 varieties of oil, so will be their rotatory powder, and hence also the 

 feeble rotatory power of pure oil of anise from its consisting almost 

 wholly of anethol. 



Examined in a tube of 50 m. m. Flilckiger and Hanbury found 

 the oil of sweet fennel deviated the ray 29^-8 ; oil of bitter fennel 

 4°'8 and the German oil 9°-l, all to the right. 



