Sept. 1896.] 



FOREIGN OFFICE REPORTS. 



193 



fruit ; the second year should give an abundant crop. The third 

 year is generally as productive as the second, and both quality 

 and quantity diminish in the following years. After the sixth 

 year it is customary to renew the plantation. 



There are two operations : one in summer, which consists in 

 gentle hoeing in order to kill the weeds and turn the soil, and 

 the other generally at the end of September or the commence- 

 ment of October, a few days before moving the plant, which 

 consists likewise in moving the soil with a special tool for the 

 purpose. 



Nearly all kinds of soil are suitable, but ground in which it is 

 planted for the first time gives the better result, and the richer 

 the soil the better the return, as saffron yields in proportion to 

 the quality of the soil and cultivation expended on it. 



The flower is picked as it comes out (from the middle of 

 October to the beginning of November). It is taken indoors, 

 and, after being stripped, is placed in sieves and submitted to a 

 very slow fire until all moisture has disappeared. 



In the market it is divided into the following classes : select, 

 very superior, superior, ordinary superior, medium., Tobarra, 

 Baja, Aragon (river), Aragon (land). These classes are subject 

 to further differences with respect to past and present season. 



The cost of seed varies in proportion to the price of the article 

 itself, i.e., if the 1 lb. (Castilian) is worth 8 dol. (say 24s.) the 

 fanega of seed is computed to be worth 8 r. (say Is. 4c?.). 



[Foreign Office Report, Annual Series, No. 1753. Price 8fd] 



The Cider Industry in Germany. 



The report of Sir Charles Oppenheimer, Her Majesty's Consul- 

 General at Frankfort-on-Main, relating to the trade of his 

 consular district in 1895, contains some observations upon the 

 cider- making industry in Germany. It appears that for many 

 years cider of excellent quality has been manufactured in 

 Germany, especially at Frankfort-on-Main. In the south of 

 Germany, with the exception of the wine-growing parts of 

 Bavaria and the strictly grape districts, a great amount of cider 

 is produced and consumed. The manufacture for the greater 

 part is still carried on by inn- keepers as a rule from home- 

 grown apples. Of late, also, corporations of producers or 

 consumers have taken up the manufacture of cider. Whenever 

 the home supply of apples does not suffice foreign apples are 

 resorted to. An import of fruit for pressing is carried on almost 

 constantly from Switzerland to Wurtemberg, and apples are 

 often imported from Austria-Hungary. In especially bad apple 

 seasons, such as 1895, the import had to be more extensive 

 in order to meet the demands. Belgium, Holland, and France 

 were resorted to in 1895, and the Belgian, French, and Austrian 



