612 EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD. 



Wild volatile-oil plants and their economic importance: I, Black sage; 

 II, wild sage; III, swamp bay, F. Rabak {U. 8. Dept. Ayr., Bur. I'Jaiit Jiidiis. 

 Bill. 235, pp. 31, figs. 6). — Followiug a discussion of the present production of 

 volatile oils from wild plants native to the United States and their importance, 

 this bulletin contains analyses of 3 heretofore unutilized plants, l:»lack sage 

 {Rumoiia stachyoidcs) from California, wild sage {Artemisia frigida) from 

 South Dakota, and swamp bay (Pcrsea j)ithrsccns) from Florida. These plants 

 are deemed of economic importance on account of the oils wbieb they contain 

 and the camphoraceous constituents which are contained in the oils themselves. 



" The oil of black sage is composed essentially of camphor ( more than 40 

 per cent) and cineol (22.5 per cent), with a small quantity of an alcohol, 

 probably borneol, both free and as an ester, and a small quantity of the ketone 

 thujone, with traces of the terpenes plnene and terpinene. Free formic acid 

 was found, and only traces of combined acetic and formic acids in the form of 

 esters. The constituents of possible economic importance in the oil are camphor 

 and cineol." 



"The oil of wild sage may be said to be composed: (1) Of total boniool 

 camphor, 43 per cent, of which about 6.8 per cent exists as bornyl heptoate 

 (calculating the esters of the oil as heptoic acid salts of borneol), leaving 35.8 

 per cent of free borneol camphor present in the oil; (2) of cineol ( eucalyptol ) , 

 18 to 20 per cent; (3) of fenchone, 8 to 10 per cent; (4) of free acids, chiefly 

 oenanthylic, or heptoic, acid, 0.58 per cent, with traces of formic and caprylie 

 acids; (5) of combined acids in form of esters, chiefly, oenanthylic acid, with 

 smaller quantities of valerianic, undecylic, and formic acids. It is very prob- 

 able that a small amount of terpenes were also present in the portion distilled 

 below 175° C, which, however, were not identified." 



" The oil of swamp bay contains over 21 per cent of camphor, 19.8 per cent 

 cineol, and borneol, the latter possibly occurring to a small extent as esters and 

 as the free alcohol. No terpenes were identified. Since only a very small por- 

 tion of the oil distills over below 175° C, it would seem that the oil is not 

 terpenic in character, as most members of the terpene group of hydrocarbons 

 boil below 175° C. Besides the constituents mentioned, the oil contains butyric 

 acid in free condition to a slight extent ; butyric, valerianic, and heptoic acids 

 combined in the oil as esters, valerianic acid predominating, and a slight trace 

 of an aldehyde, possibly formaldehyde." 



Particular stress is laid upon the fields (medicine, arts, etc.) in which the 

 above oils and their components may be used. 



Investigations in regard to the stearin of wool fat, E. Coen (Abs. in Chem. 

 Ztg., 35 (1911), No. 56, p. 50<S),— Wool fat contains from 18 to 28 per cent of 

 unsaponifiable substances, corresponding to from 62 to 72 per cent of fat. The 

 saponification figure fluctuates between 118 and 136, which when referred to the 

 saponifiable matter alone averages 163. Owing to the fact that fatty acids 

 of high molecular weight are present, the latter figure will indicate the differ- 

 ence between the stearin and that of the other fatty substances of wool fat 

 which have a higher saponification number. 



The acetyl figure of the unsaponifiable part of wool fat varies between 25 

 and 27, and the content of higher alcohols calculated to cholesterol between 

 18.4 and 27.3 per cent. The hydrocarbons are solid, the specific gravity lying 

 between 0.924 and 0.936 at 15° C, the iodin number between 26 and 34, and the 

 polarization at from 20 to 25° between 4-11.7 and +15.2°. 



The technical utilization of the nonsugar substances of the sugar beet, 

 F. EiiRLiCH {Chem. Ztg., 35 {1911), No. 73. pp. 661-663; abs. in. Chem. Zentbl., 

 1911. II, No. 7, p. 495). — The author discusses the possibilities of utilizing the 

 pectin substances of the beet, the various uses for molasses, the production of 



