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 an'd 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, &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 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. 



