- 72 - . 1 



where we were also represented, and which consisted of the slopes of 

 MontVentoux, was let this year for 2000 fcs., against 660 fcs. in 1911. 

 Another plot, which had previously been let for 460 fcs. was knocked 

 down for 1540 fcs. It goes without saying that in all these instances we 

 abstained from making any bids whatsoever, because we perceived that 

 our competitors were deliberately rushing up the prices. "Un Montagnard" 

 therefore accuses us unjustly of driving up the prices, for, as we have 

 shown above, the land secured by us was leased at by far the most 

 favourable terms secured by any lessor. His reproaches should be taken 

 to heart by those of his countrymen who showed themselves so open- 

 handed without any logical ground. In the same article the writer urges 

 the distillers to prepare an oil of superior quality to ours by using culti- 

 vated lavender flowers, but in doing so he ignores the fact that we have for 

 some time been the owners of lavender-plantations, and we may here let 

 him into the secret that it is our intention considerably to extend these 

 plantations in the future. We hope that we shall thus, in the course of 

 time, be in a position to supply the requirements of our Barreme works 

 entirely from our own plantations. In passing, we may observe that we 

 distil at Barreme between 25000 and 28000 kilos of lavender flowers daily. 

 As stated at the commencement of this article, we only paid for a 

 very short time the high prices which, in spite of the favourable prospects, 

 were conceded to the collectors at the beginning of the season. In the 

 end these prices reached a figure of 20 fcs. per 100 kilos, but we fixed 

 our buying-rates in the district of Barreme and in other localities where 

 we employ buyers, at 12 fcs. Although it would be thought that in these 

 circumstances the purveyors of flowers would have taken the whole of 

 their merchandise to our competitors and left us in the lurch, it soon 

 turned out that after all they were unable to dispose elsewhere of their 

 large supplies, and from that time forward we found no difficulty in 

 acquiring the bulk of our requirements of flowers at reasonable rates. 

 We may congratulate the manufacturer who has shown the good taste to 

 entice the flower-purveyors away from us on our own threshold so to 

 speak, by offering them fancy prices, upon the brilliancy of his conception 

 and not less so upon the "cheap" cost-price of his lavender oil! 



"Un Montagnard" will probably be very little pleased with the critical 

 review of his article by an expert which has recently appeared in the fl 

 Seifensiederzeitung 1 ), and which we cannot omit to publish verbatim here 

 in order to complete the account of the incident. This criticism is as 

 follows: — 



Great interest attaches to an article which appears in No. 25 of 

 "La Revue de Grasse et le Commerce" of June 23 rd 1912. In this article 

 it is specially pointed out that the German firm of Schimmel § Co. of 

 Leipzig has again attempted this year to buy up, as far as possible, 



*) Seifensieder Ztg. 25 (1912), 744. 



