— 41 — 



Turning to the different varieties of essential oils, I have to report 

 as follows: — 



Bergamot Oil. In the previous Report attention has already been called 

 to the fact that the last bergamot-crop was a very moderate one indeed. 



As no old stocks worth mentioning had been carried over into the 

 new year from the last few crops, the steady and continuous demand 

 from abroad resulted in a strong upward movement in the price of bergamot 

 oil, and in spite of the fact that the demand has fallen off in the course 

 of the last four months this tendency has been maintained. 



At the end of March the prices of bergamot oil stood at 32 to 35 c4t 

 per kilo according to the ester-content of the parcel, but during the 

 summer they leapt up by several stages to from 43 to 46 b#, in spite of 

 the fact that a certain proportion of the would-be users, owing to the ele- 

 vated prices, had cast about and actually found substitutes for the article. 



Several reasons can be adduced in explanation of the fact that 

 bergamot oil now stands at a level which it had not attained for more 

 than half a century previously. First of all, the quantity of this oil 

 produced here during the last three years has been less than in the 

 three years preceding the earthquake. Secondly, it may be boldly assumed 

 that formerly adulteration of the oil was much more common than is the 

 case nowadays. The falling off from this cause in the quantity of oil 

 which would formerly have been considered fit for export may be estimated 

 as fully 15 to 20%. Another decline of 10% is due to the fact that after 

 the earthquake of 1908 a number of bergamot-gardens were uprooted to 

 provide for the erection of new wooden settlements and villages in the 

 immediate proximity of the old heaps of ruins. It may therefore be safely 

 assumed that, supposing the conditions of the crop to be equal, from 

 one-fourth to one-third less bergamot oil is now available for purposes 

 of trade than was the case say four or five years ago. To this must be 

 added that the owners of bergamot-plantations and the manufacturers of 

 the oil have made a good deal of money in recent years owing to the 

 steadily advancing prices and are now, taken as a body, very prosperous 

 and even wealthy, so that they are better able to keep back their produce 

 and turn it to good account than they used to be. 



About three months still separate us from the new crop, and the 

 quantity of oil available for prompt delivery is so exceedingly small, nay, 

 insignificant, that until the arrival of the new crop no important reductions 

 in price are to be expected. From the beginning the prospects of this 

 crop have warranted no rosy illusions. In a few small parts of the 

 growing-district it is hoped that the yield will equal about 60% of that 

 of last season, but the greater part of the gardens only promises half a 

 crop and in certain localities the machines will not be required at all 

 this year, as the trees are bearing no fruit, having been severely damaged 

 during the winter by frost and loss of foliage. 



