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Shortly after the publication of our April Report the first official 

 communication on the crop-prospects issued by the authority named made 

 its appearance. It indicated that the result in the present year was likely 

 to be unfavourable. The dry summer of 1911, the communication in 

 question states, was very unfavourable for the development of the young 

 caraway-plants. When the winter-cover was removed the fields were 

 found to be in such a condition that the greater part had to be ploughed 

 up. As a result there is now very little land under caraway in all the 

 principal districts, such as Groningen, North- and South-Holland, Zealand, 

 and the western part of North-Brabant. The National Instructor in Agri- 

 culture for Western North - Brabant, for instance, reported that in his 

 district the caraway-plantations only cover from 10 to 20 p. c. of the area 

 they occupied in 1911. The plants had moreover developed very badly. 

 In Groningen the condition of the fields was moderate to fairly good; in 

 North-Holland fair on clay-soil and fairly good on peat-soil, in South- 

 Holland and Zealand moderate and in North-Brabant rather bad. 



It is easy to understand that as a result of this unfavourable outlook 

 the caraway market immediately began to assume a much firrrrer tone, 

 although the heavy stocks still remaining over from the year 1911 prevented 

 the prices from advancing beyond a certain limit. Naturally, the price 

 of caraway oil followed the seed-market. Another official report appeared 

 under date of July 15 th , from which it appeared that the area under caraway 

 this year amounts to 3266 hectares only, compared with 8230 hectares in 

 1911 (see above), and that therefore the crop will be a very small one. 

 The news from the various districts is as follows: — 



Zealand, bad; North-Holland and North-Brabant, rather bad; 

 Groningen rather bad to moderate; South-Holland, moderate. 

 Only from Friesland, where but very little is grown, the report is 

 fairly good. 



In the meantime the total yield has also been made known. It amounts 

 to 25 000 bales only, that is to say, to little more than one-tenth of last 

 year's crop. With such a pitiable result no doubt will be entertained that 

 the increase in price which we have been forced to declare for all 

 varieties of caraway oil is thoroughly justified, or that as soon as the 

 ^ stock of last year's seed is approaching exhaustion it will probably be 

 PViecessary to announce a fresh advance. 



An official report on the condition of the young caraway plants dated 

 September 12 th is as follows: — 



In Groningen a few fields will have to be ploughed up and in North 

 Brabant the plants are generally too weak. In North-Holland and in 

 Western North-Brabant the condition is fairly good, elsewhere it is good. 



Cardamom Oil. In spite of the high values of the raw material (for 

 Malabar cardamoms suitable for distillation about 750 <4t per 100 kilos 



