— 74 — 



two years showed the following figures, including the production in 



the North: — 



1905 1906 



First cut 20000 kin 6000 kin 



Second cut 70000 „ 40000 „ 



Third cut ... 50000 „ 35000 „ 



Total yield in the North (Yokohama) . 90000 „ 80000 „ 



230000 kin 16 1 000 kin 



Add old stocks 200000 „ 80000 „ 



Grand total, available for export . . . 430000 kin 241000 km 



A further table illustrates the considerable fluctuations in the prices 

 on the peppermint market, which, for the rest, are also a peculiarity 

 of other Japanese products. 



Peppermint Oil, French. The cultivation of mint, which in 

 France had long been confined to the Grasse district, has always been 

 one of the more important industrial enterprises of France. In recent 

 years it has also extended to the valley of the Var, up to Entreveaux. 

 In order to keep the cultivation at a remunerative level even with a 

 possible fall in the prices, a rational method of fertilisation must be 

 observed in the cultivation of mint, a matter to which up to the 

 present not sufficient value has been attached. L. Belle 1 ) reports 

 in a long article on the experiments made with various kinds of 

 manure. 



In Villeneuve-Loubet, the most important place for the mint- 

 cultivation, in the Sea- Alps, and where up to the present the com- 

 paratively largest crops have been obtained, the manure generally used 

 consists of sesame oil cakes, and that in the enormous quantity of 5 

 to 6 tons per hectare (2 1 / 2 acres), which gives rise to an expenditure 

 of about 750 to 900 francs; and the farmers do not trouble whether 

 or not this method is really a rational one. According to analyses 

 by Charabot and Hebert, mint contains during its entire vegetation- 

 period o,2 5°/ nitrogen, o,i46°/ phosphoric acid, and o,794°/ potash. 

 A crop of 30000 kilos, which is not infrequently obtained in Villeneuve- 

 Loubet, would correspond to 73,5 kilos nitrogen, 43,8 kilos phosphoric 

 acid, and 238,2 kilos potash. With a fertilising agent such as sesame 

 oil cakes, which contain on the average 6 °/ nitrogen, 2 °/ phosphoric 

 acid, and i°/ potash, there would be given to the soil, if 6000 kilos 

 are used, 360 kilos nitrogen, 120 kilos phosphoric acid, and 60 kilos 

 potash. Consequently the necessary fertilisers, with the exception of 

 phosphoric acid, are given in the reverse proportion, if the analytical 

 results are taken into consideration. When this fertiliser is employed, 



1 ) Journ. de la Parfumerie et Savonnerie Frai^aises 20 (1907), 80. 



