I — 89 — 



especially from the European markets, and as a result the quotations have 

 lately acquired a certain stability. We are inclined to think that during 

 the winter the prices of first-class qualities will not fall below those to 

 which we reduced our oils in the middle of August. 



In the course of the year our New York branch has again made a careful 

 survey of the producing centres in the States of Michigan and Indiana; — 

 Wayne County has notoriously ceased to be a factor in the estimation. 

 We take from the report of our friends the following particulars concerning 

 the area under cultivation this year: — 







1911 





1912 



1912 





1911 



Michigan: 





acres 



this 



year's plants 



total 



oil 



in farmers' hands 



Van Buren County 





1405 





490 



1687 





— 



Cass „ 





1380 





352 



1525 





5100 



Saginaw „ 





1250 





150 



1350 





— 



Allegan 



. . . . 



1022 





405 



1258 





3700 



Berrien „ 





647 





548 



1120 





— 



Eaton „ 



. 



485 





181 



355 





1900 



Kalamazoo „ 





328 





136 



413 





2500 



Montcalm „ 





231 





177 



365 





— 



St. Joseph „ 



. . . . 



428 





196 



350 





900 



Branch „ 





151 





68 



145 





2300 



Muskegon „ 



. . . . 



65 





15 



75 





— 





Total 



7392 acres 



2718 acres 



8643 



acres 



16400 lbs. 



Indiana: 





1911 





1912 



1912 





1911 



St. Joseph County 



and 



acres 



this 



year's plants 



total 



oil 



in farmers' hands 



neighbourhood 





2845 





1422 



3375 





2700 



La Grange County 



.... 



838 





366 



1011 





— 



Noble 





200 





40 



150 





— 



Steuben „ 





100 





10 



50 





— 





Total 



3983 acres 



1838 acres 



4586 



acres 



2700 lbs. 



It appears from the above that the increased area under peppermint 

 as compared with 1911 amounts to 1854 acres and that 4556 acres have 

 been newly planted. Our expert estimates the total peppermint oil output 

 for the present year at about 325000 lbs., or about 40000 lbs. more than 

 that of 1911. The total stocks of last year's oil amount to 23000 lbs., 

 hence the world's requirements for the year are amply covered by the 

 available quantities 1 ). 



Peppermint Oil, English. The reports on the probable yield of oil 

 during the present year, which were at first very favourable, and which 

 induced us to make a commensurate reduction in our prices, have 

 unfortunately since then been replaced by most pessimistic news from the 



x ) Unfortunately, while this Beport was in preparation, we received the news that owing 

 to the badness of the weather during recent weeks the yield will fall far short of the 

 expectations and that sellers have withdrawn from the market. The prices are therefore 

 again beginning to show a very strong tendency. 



