THE ALUMNI JOURNAL 5 



erally had to sell the oil at a loss or without profit, for the simple 

 reason that before the goods conld arrive in this market, the prices 

 would have further declined, and with continued lower offers coming, 

 they had to meet competition or else keep their oil in hand and lose 

 more. We believe, therefore, that there is less stock in this market, 

 and no doubt abroad, than there has been for many years. We also 

 believe there will be a great scarcity of Lemon and Orange for a few 

 months to come. There are certainly considerable contracts for old 

 oil to be filled which, of course, must be protected, and for that reason 

 what little stocks there are here, are, no doubt, unavailable and not 

 for sale. — Report of Geo. Lueders & Co. 



PRODUCTION OF CAFFEINE AND COFFEE FREE FROM 



NARCOTIC. 



Consul-General A. M. Thackera, of Berlin, contributes the following 

 valuable account of the prop-ress made by German chemical houses 

 in the production of caffeine from various sources, caffeine-free coffee, 

 and their sale in Germany and abroad. 



Caffeine, which has been found to be identical with thein of tea 

 and guarin of guarana, belongs to the family of plant alkaloids which 

 can be produced by chemical processes from various substances. It 

 may be found in the leaves and berries of the coffee trees, leaves and 

 flowers of China and Ceylon and other East Indian tea leaves, leaves 

 of Paraguay tea, kola nuts, guarana-paste, in paulinia seeds of one of 

 the Brazilian creepers (Paulin saubilis), in the bush tea of South 

 Africa, and in the Appalachian tea of the North American Indians. 



In Germany the great bulk of the caffeine of commerce is at pres- 

 ent produced partly from the refuse of China and Ceylon tea and 

 partly from the tea imported from China for the purpose, supposed to 

 consist more or less of tea once used by the Chinese and then dried. 



Caffeine is also produced as a by-product by a Bremen firm in the 

 patented process of manufacturing the caffeine-free coffee, which is 

 claimed to contain only an exceedingly small quantity of the caffeine' 

 alkaloid and can be used without any of the harmful eft'ects of the 

 pure coffee. The process is patented in most countries, but the method 

 of manufacture is kept secret. I am told that the caffeine is extracted 

 by means of benzol, the coffee bean being treated by a secret process 

 in porcelain vessels. 



