830 



Liquorice Groavinc. 



[Dec, 



LIQUORICE GROWING. 



David G. McIver, 

 Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries. 



The Liquorice plant, Ghjcyrrhiza glabra, is a native of North 

 Africa, Southern Europe, and Asia Minor, and is cultivated in 

 France, Italy, Spain, Southern Eussia and the United States, 

 &nd to a slight extent in England. The plant is grown for its 

 root, from which is obtained the liquorice of commerce, chiefly 

 used in medicinal preparations, and also in brev/ing and flavour- 

 ing tobacco. In England the home-grown root is almost entirely 

 used for chewing purposes. The cultivation of liquorice in this 

 country is now confined to the distnct between Pontefract and 

 Knotting] ey in Yorkshire, although a few years back there were 

 two or three centres near liOndon where it was grown. 



The liquorice has been grown in the Pontefract district for 

 several generations, and there is no doubt that the Pomfret Cakes 

 which are made in the district, and which are a liquorice pre- 

 paration, were originally made from the home-grown root. The 

 Pomfret Cakes of to-day are probably made from the imported 

 article. The Yorkshire -grown liquorice, as already stated, is 

 practically all sold for chewing purposes and is chiefly consumed 

 in the Northern towns, such as Newcastle, Hull, Leeds and Man- 

 chester. It has a very definite selling season — the months of 

 October and November — and any ro(^ts not sold by the beginning 

 of December are stored in sand until the following season. 



The acreage under the crop is gradually diminishing and 

 whereas a few years back there was an acreage of about 200, 

 only a quarter of that area is cultivated now. A deep medium 

 soil, such as is found between Pontefract and Knottingley, is 

 essential for its cultivation as it is impossible to get roots up to 

 4 ft. in length, and more sometimes, unless the soil has a good 

 depth. 



The plants rem^ain in the beds as a rule for four years, 

 although occasionally they are lifted in the third, and sometimes 

 when they have done badly or the market is flat they may be 

 left for five years. 



The system of cultivation practised in the Yorkshire district 

 is as follows : — 



Little preparation of the ground is necessary because it is 

 usual for one liquorice crop to follow another and as the process 



