474 



Cl'LTIVATION OF La VENDER. 



[Aug., 



spring the young plants should be " dibbled in " in rows 

 running from north to south, 4 feet apart and 6 feet between 

 the rows. These wide spaces are not more than is necessary to 

 allow the plant full growth for flower-bearing, room for cutting 

 flowers and for keeping the ground free from weeds. 



The crop is propagated from " cuttings " broken off with a 

 root or heel, and planted in March, April or September. The 

 " cuttings " should be of young growth, and should first of all 

 be planted 3 or 4 inches apart in a shady spot and kept watered. 

 In the following spring they can be transplanted to their proper 

 positions in the field. Weeds should be destroyed regularly, 

 but the hoeing should be not more than one inch deep as the 

 roots of the plant spread near the surface of the ground. Young 

 plants should as far as possible be kept from flowering during 

 the first year by clipping, so that the strength of the plant is 

 thrown into the lateral shoots to make it bushy and compa<?t- 

 A full picking is usually obtained from the second to the fifth 

 years, after which the old plants should be cleared off and burnt 

 and the ashes spread over the ground. The kind should then be 

 ploughed, manured, cross-ploughed, and left fallow until the 

 following spring, when re-stocking can commence. 



The harvest is more or less dependent upon the season, but 

 as a rule it begins in the first week of August, though if the 

 weather is wet it is best to delay the cutting of the flowers 

 until later. The best oil is obtained after a hot, dry season. 

 The flowers should be fully open when cut, and if required for 

 distillation they should be spread out on the shelves or on the 

 floors of dry sheds until partially dry, when they are ready for 

 dispatch to the distillers. If required for sale in bunches for 

 market, they can be bunched and sent straight away after 

 cutting; this is also done sometimes when the produce is to be 

 distilled. 



It is estimated that about 1,200 lb. of partially dried flowers, 

 yielding 25 lb. of oil, is obtained from an acre of good land 

 under favourable conditions. Much, of course, depends on the 

 energy and careful superintendence of the grower, and also on 

 the care taken by the distiller in the process of distillation. Last 

 year distillers paid £40 to £100 per ton for flowers, according 

 to quality. For bunched lavender the prices on Covent Garden 

 market have been remunerative for the last three years, but the 

 demand is said to vary considerably, so that the business is 

 somewhat precarious. Last year prices varied from 18s. to 24s. 

 per dozen bunches of 200 flower stems each, and from Gs. to 



