40 — 





1905 



1906 

 Value in rupees 



1907 



Europe . . 



285818 



2226o8 



190 197 



Asia . . . 



3622 



6831 



4708 



America 



9680 



— 



15060 



Africa . . 



— 



285 



— 



As in the preceding season, almost the whole of the exports of the current 

 year went to Hamburg, the value sent to that port being 175648 rupees out 

 of a total of 209965 rupees. 



The prices of cloves in Hamburg have shown a continued falling- 

 tendency since last October (when the highest point [108 marks] was 

 reached), and when in the first half of February not less than 

 9500 bales were brought to market in Zanzibar, they dropped to 

 88 marks. In London and Amsterdam the quotations were for the 

 time less advantageous, but these variations are fairly well counter- 

 balanced by differences to the detriment of Hamburg at other times. 



The estimate expressed in our November Report as to the yield 

 of the clove crop in Zanzibar appears to have been taken too low rather 

 than too high. It is now shown that the total production of the 

 harvest will far exceed 90000 bales, inasmuch as the shipments already 

 known of exceed 100 000 bales. In well-informed circles a crop of, 

 say, 130000 bales is even talked of, and although this figure may be 

 put a little too high, because doubtless old stocks in warehouse have 

 been counted in with the new crop, that fact in no way alters the 

 decisive character of the total figures. The comparatively high prices 

 of the past few months may therefore legitimately be put down to 

 the usual manoeuvring of the bull party, whose influence upon the 

 course of the market is unmistakable even at the present time. 



In the year 1908, in sympathy with the diminished demand, 



only about 767500 kilos of clove stems were imported via Hamburg, 



compared with about 1200000 kilos in 1907 



850000 „ „ 1906 



1230000 „ „ 1905 



333 000 „ „ 1904. 



After slight movements upwards and downwards the prices receded 

 from 32 marks per 100 kilos to about 2J marks to 28 marks per 

 100 kilos, but in the course of the past few weeks the market has 

 shown a somewhat firmer tone. 



From the residue of the distillation in vacuo of the sesquiterpenic 

 parts of oil of clove stems (free from eugenol) E. Deussen 1 ) has isolated 

 abouto,i°/ of an amorphous body, unsoluble in alcohol and melting 

 at about 146 , to which he ascribes the formula (C 21 H 30 O) 5 . 



*) Berl. Berichte 42 (1909), 380, 680. 



