614 CONIFERS. 



The essential oil of Canada balsam, saturated with dry hydrochloric 

 acid, does not yield a solid crystallizable compound ; but this is easily 

 obtained on addition of fuming nitric acid and gently heating, when 

 the inside of the retort becomes covered by sublimed crystals of 



QIOIJIG^JJCI 



Thus this oil in its general characters bears a close resemblance to 

 the essential oils of the cones of Finns Picea L., and of the leaves of 

 P. Pumilio Hiinke, and to most of the French varieties of oil of turpen- 

 tine, rather than to the American turpentine oils, which rotate to the 

 right, 



HCl 



compound. 



dextrogyr 



parts of it, entirely deprived of essential oil and dissolved in one of 

 benzol, deviating the ray 8*5' to the right. Tlie optical powers of the 

 two components (oil and resin) are therefore antagonistic. 



The resin of Canada balsam consists however of two different bodies, 



78 



-) 



ether. Neither the alcoholic nor the ethereal solution yields a crystalline 

 residue if allowed to evaporate. They redden litmus, but we did not 

 succeed in obtaining any crystallized resinous acid, crystals of wnich 

 are formed if common turpentine or colophony is digested with dilute 

 alcohol. Glacial acetic acid acts upon the resins like absolute alcohol 

 Caustic alkalis do not dissolve either the balsam or the resin; the former 

 however is considerably thickened by incorporation wdth i of its weight 

 of recently calcined magnesia. If the mixture, moistened with dilute 

 alcohol, is kept at 93° 0. for some days and frequently stirred, a mass 

 of hard consistence, finally translucent, results. Caustic ammonia heated 

 with the balsam in a closed bottle, forms a thick milky jelly, which does 

 not afterwards separate. 



— J 



tine consist of 



Canada 



Essential oil, C'^H'", with a very small proportion of 



an oxygenated oil ••• 2* 



Resin soluble in boiling alcohol • • • ^^ 



Resin soluble only in ether - 1" 



• . • • ' 



The result of Wirzen's examination of Canada balsam' are not i^^, 

 complete accordance with those here stated. He found 16 P^^^^^^^j. 

 oil and three different amorphous resins, one of which had the c 

 position of abietic acid. ' • j -fTi rbr 



Production and Commerce— Canada balsam is obtained eitnej^.-^ 

 puncturing the vesicles which form under the suberous envelope o ^^ 

 trunk and branches, and collecting their fluid contents in a bow ,^^ 

 by making incisions. It is obtained principally in Lower Canaaa, ^^^ 

 IS shipped from Montreal and Quebec, in kegs or large barrels. ^ ^^ 

 neighbourhood of Quebec, about 2000 gallons (20,000 lb.) f ^J ' is, 

 collected annually; but in 18G8, owing to distress among the la ^^^^ 

 the quantity obtained was unusually large, and it wsis estimate*i ^^ 

 nearly 7000 gallons would be exported to England and the uu 



^2)e bahamis et prcr^.rfhn ,h BaUamo teJ In the JahrcsbrricM of Wigge^ 

 ^anadense, Helemgforsic^ lS49,-abstrac- 1849. 38. 



