306 ITMBELLIFERiE. 



Caraway ; ov foreign Anise. And though it is now sold in the Indian 

 bazaars, its name does not occur in the earlier lists of Indian spices. 



Cultivation^ — In England, the caraway is cultivated exclusively in 

 Kent and Essex, on clay lands. It was formerly sown mixed with 

 coriander and teazel seed, but now with the former only. The plant, 

 which requires the most diligent and careful cultivation, yields in its 

 second year a crop which is ready for harvesting in the beginning of 

 July. It is cut with a hook at about a foot from the ground, and a few 

 days afterwards may be thrashed. The produce is very variable, but 

 may be stated at 4 to 8 cwt. per acre. 



Description — The fruits, which in structure correspond to those of 

 other plants of the order, are laterally compressed and ovate. The 

 mericarps which hang loosely suspended from the arms of the carpo- 

 phore, are in the English drug about ^ of an inch in length and 2V iii 

 diameter, subcylindrical, slightly arched, and tipped with the conical, 

 shrivelled stylopodiura. They are marked with five pale ridges, nearly 

 half as broad as the shining, dark brown furrows, each of which is 

 furnished with a conspicuous vitta; a pair of vittse separated from 

 each other by a comparatively thin fibro-vascular bundle, occurs on the 

 commissure. 



Caraways are somewhat horny and translucent ; when bruised, they 

 evolve an agreeable fragrance resembling that of dill, and they have a 

 pleasant spicy taste. In the London market, they are distinguished as 

 English, Dutch, German, and Mogador, the first sort fetching the 

 highest price. The fruit varies in size, tint and flavour ; the English 

 is shorter and plumper than the others ; the Mogador is paler, stalky, 

 and elongated — often ^o of an inch in length. 



Microscopic Structure — Caraways are especially distinguished by 

 their enormous vittse, which in transverse section display a triangular 

 outline, the largest diameter, i.e. the base of the triangle, often attaining 

 as much as 300 mkm. Even those of the commissure are usually not 

 smaller. 



Chemical Composition — Caraways contain a volatile oil, which 

 the Dutch drug afibrds to the extent of 5"5 per cent., that grown in 

 Germany to the amount of 7 per cent.^ ; in Norway 5'8 per cent, have 

 also been obtained from indigenous caraways.* The position and size 

 of the vittse account for the fact that comminution of the fruits previous 

 to distillation, does not increase the yield of oil. 



Volckel (1840) showed that the oil is a mixture of a hydrocarbon 

 (^"W^, and an oxygenated oil, C^"H"0. Berzelius subsequently termed 

 the former Carvene and the latter Carvol. 



Carvene, constituting about one third of the crude oil, boils at 173° 

 C, and forms with dry hydrochloric gas crystals of C^"ff® + 2HC1. It 

 has been ascertained by us that carvene, as well as carvol, has a dextro- 

 gyrate power, that of carvene being considerably the stronger ; there 

 are probably not many liquids exhibiting a stronger dextrogyrate rota- 

 tion. Carvene is of a weaker odour than carvol, from which it has not 

 yet been absolutely deprived ; perfectly pure carvene would no doubt 



^ Morton, Cyclop, of Agriculture, i. (1855) Messrs. Schimmel & Co., Leipzig. 

 390. ^ Schiibeler, PJlanzenwelt Norwegens. 



2 Information obligingly supplied by Christiania, 1863-1875. 85. 



