191 1.] The Caraway Seed Industry in Holland. 135 
vated for seed. In the province of Zeeland it is sometimes 
grown under field and other beans. In the province of 
Groningen, where of recent years peas have suffered much from 
disease, some growers have adopted the practice of growing 
caraway among flax, with which white clover is also sown. 
In the first year the flax is harvested, in the second year the 
land is covered with white clover, and it is only in the third 
year that the caraway seed is completely harvested. 
As a rule, caraway seed is sown simultaneously with or 
immediately after that of the covering plant, mostly towards 
the end of March or in the beginning of April, and usually 
in rows, so that the soil between the rows can be tilled by 
machinery or by hand. Before the seed is sown it is carefully 
mixed with the seed of the covering plant. Machines have 
been constructed which sow the caraway seed and the seed 
of the covering plant at the same time, but keep each kind 
separate. The seed of the covering plant is also sometimes 
sown first and caraway seed afterwards. The distance 
between the rows averages from 12 to 16 inches, and the 
quantity of seed sown is from 5 to 8J lb. per acre. Broadcast 
sowing is less customary. 
After the covering plant has been cut, the caraway begins 
to thrive well. Great care is devoted to the destruction of 
weeds by harrowing, hoeing, cS:c. ; and towards the winter 
the rows are earthed up so as to cover the plant somewhat 
with earth. It is customary to cover the rows in winter with 
earth taken from ditches, or to dress them with stable manure, 
while in the event of the crops being in a bad condition, 
manuring with nitrate of soda in the autumn and early spring 
is of much assistance. In any case, every effort should be 
made to cause the crop to thrive the first year, as this deter- 
mines the yield the next year. Caraway can never be too 
luxuriant: for this reason nitrate of soda should be given, 
even when the condition of the crop is normal. 
The next spring the ground is again harrowed and hoed 
in order to loosen the soil and to remove the weeds. The 
caraway then soon begins to grow 7 fast, blossoms in the second 
half of May, and is ripe towards the end of June or in the 
beginning of July. At this time the fruit has turned brown, 
and falls off easily. 
