— 87 — 



On the other hand the exports during the last eight seasons were: 



from September 1902 to August 1903 840 tons 



1903 „ „ 1904 ..... 820 „ 



1904 „ „ 1905 500 „ 



1905 „ „ 1906 920 „ 



1906 „ „ 1907 550 „ 



1907 „ „ 1908 525 „ 



1908 „ „ 1909 755 „ 



1909 „ „ 1910 . . . . . 760 „ 



Total 5670 tons, 



or on an average about 710 tons per season. These figures make 

 it clear that the exports have materially exceeded the total yields 

 of the crops, and that therefore the stocks formerly in hand and 

 proceeding from the old abundant crops, have gradually been 

 used up. Rich crops are how much to be desired, in order to 

 prevent the article from becoming still dearer. 



It is true that it has been necessary several times to raise the prices 

 of orris oil, because the supplies of root from the year 1907 which had 

 been bought cheaply (about c4t 65. — per 100 kilos) are long ago exhausted, 

 but in spite of this the demand for our two qualities continues, and a 

 comparison of the present prices with those of the year 1907 shows 

 clearly that the current quotations of orris oil are still far from being 

 in harmony with the present market-price of Florentine orris root {<M 85. — 

 per 100 kilos). 



Palmarosa Oil. At the time when our last Report was written the 

 position of this important article was so obscure that we could not bring 

 ourselves to express an opinion on the subject. It is a fact that the pro- 

 spects of the new crop were not unfavourable, and when the first offers 

 were made at somewhere about 8/6 for the new oil, it was thought that 

 normal prices might be expected to rule in the new season. But, the 

 old stocks having been depleted to the last drop, there immediately arose 

 such a strong demand as to make the quotations jump up to 9/6. Even at 

 that figure there were few sellers, and these tried their hardest, by only 

 offering small parcels just sufficient to cover the most urgent require- 

 ments, to force the buyers to advance their limits. If we are correctly 

 informed, a few Indian speculators have taken the article in hand, and so 

 far they have succeeded, by adroit reticence in selling, not only in main- 

 taining the prices, but even in advancing them up to 10/3 and 10/6, 

 although it must be admitted that at these rates there appears to be little 

 eagerness to buy. Such prices, of course, are quite out of proportion to 

 the intrinsic value of palmarosa oil, and consumers, especially among the 

 soapmakers, could hardly be blamed in these circumstances for preferring 

 such a substitute as has been available in our Palmarosa Oil Substitute, 

 which was placed upon the market by us last summer at the time of the 

 disastrous scarcity of the real oil. This substitute is so excellent in 



