— 28 — 
received via Holland and England. According to the latter, a con- 
tinuation of the upward movement in prices, which has now taken 
place without interruption for many months, is inevitable. Especially 
in Holland on the terminal market, the opinion is in favour of this 
article, and the greatest trouble is taken to explain the favourable 
situation by means of statistical comparisons. The particulars for the 
first six months of 1903 are as follows: — 
Stock of cloves in Holland on ist July 1903 1902 1901 1900 1899 
Bales 38920 57039 67423 83251 81043 
Import from Jan. i^^ to July i^^ „ 5000 4300 2 700 17500 49000 
Deliveries „ „ „ „ 14 100 8800 10900 7000 4000 
The total stocks of cloves on the three principal markets of the 
world were: — 
I St September 1903 1902 1901 1900 1899 
Holland 31865 51456 62960 74842 79373 
London 17130 16034 16310 21557 33516 
New York 9000 1 1 000 13900 14700 16700 
57995 78490 93170 1 1 1099 129589 bales. 
According to these figures the situation is undoubtedly favourable, 
and the prices have advanced in proportion. 
The movements in the prices on the principal markets since 
April are: — 
in Hamburg from 72 marks to 135 marks per 100 kilos 
„ Holland „ 19V2 to 40 florins per 50 kilos 
London „ 3 ^/^ d. to 7 ^4 d. per lb. 
which is equal to an increase of 100 per cent. 
In the quotations of oil of cloves a corresponding increase has now 
also occurred, and all those who have taken advantage of the low 
prices to lay in an abundant supply are to be congratulated. The 
opportunity is now past. 
The demand for clove oil during the last few months was excep- 
tionally strong, and could only be met by overwork. 
From the hand of E. C. Spurge^) a work has recently appeared, 
in which he submits to a comparative study the methods in use for 
determining the eugenol content (according toUmney^), Thoms, and 
^) Pharmaceutical Journal 70 (1903), 701, 757. 
^) Umney originally employed 10 per cent, aqueous potash-lye, when, however, 
the results obtained were much too high. We modified the method thus, that we 
used 3 to 5 per cent, aqueous soda-solution. Hereafter the expression *'Umney's 
method" means the method modified as above. For the rest it is immaterial whether 
soda- or potash-lye of equal percentage is used. 
