136 The Caraway Seed Industry in Holland, [may, 



Although the caraway is a biennial plant, only a part of 

 the plants grow seed-stalks in the second year. On this 

 account the plants can be allowed to remain a further year 

 so as to permit of seed being harvested that year also. As a 

 rule this second harvest is not so large as the first one. For 

 this reason this method is only applied now and again in 

 the province of Groningen. 



Insect Pests, £fc. — Caraway has only a few enemies. The 

 stalks are sometimes attacked by Sclerotinia Libertiana, Fl.,. 

 which disease also attacks rapeseed. The worst enemy is the 

 caterpillar of the caraway moth, Depressaria nervosa, Haw., 

 which often enough destroys whole fields of caraway. The 

 caraway moth passes the winter as a moth, and lays its eggs 

 in March or April on various umbelliferous plants. In May 

 the first caterpillars are seen, these at first living on the leaves, 

 but later on spinning the axes of the umbels together, and 

 eating up both the flowers and the fruit. In the years 1895- 

 1900 especially, great damage was caused in certain districts 

 by the caraway moth ; since that period but little has been 

 heard of it. Furthermore, a disease, which has not yet been 

 identified, has of recent years caused considerable damage, 

 especially to caraway which is more than a year old. 



Harvesting. — As the fruits fall off easily, harvesting must 

 be done carefully, a little early rather than too late. The 

 plants are cut with small scythes or sickles or with mowing 

 machines; in dry periods the cutting should be done early 

 in the morning and late in the evening, and not in *the hottest 

 part of the day. The- loose sheaves are at once built up in 

 small stacks of from twenty to thirty sheaves, which are tied 

 with string as a protection against the wind. After two or 

 three weeks the stacks are ready for storage in the barn or for 

 immediate thrashing. The latter operation often takes place 

 in the field. 



Yield, &>c. — The yield varies considerably, frequently from 

 6 to 16 cwt. per acre. A harvest of from 14 to 16 bales of 

 50 kilograms (no lb.) each per acre is considered good. 

 On an average, however, not more than from 10 to 12 bales 

 per acre are reckoned upon, and the average for the whole 

 country is under 10 bales, being in 1909 exactly 9J cwU 

 per acre. The seed is sold in bales of 50 kilograms (no lb.)>. 



