350 



Journal of Agricultural Research 



Vol. XIII, No. 7 



The highest results from plants so far examined were yielded by 

 squaring plants — namely, 0.0054 per cent in one and 0.0071 in another 

 case. However, not sufficient data are on hand to allow any definite con- 

 clusions as to the relative yield from plants in different stages of growth. 



The yield from the Sea Island cotton was about the same as that found 

 in Upland cotton. The oil was of a more or less brown color, distilling 

 over mainly between 200° and 300° C. at atmospheric pressure, the lower 

 fractions having a yellow, the higher a blue color. The volatile oil 

 obtained from cotton bark by Power and Browning had a pale-yellow 

 color and distilled between 120° and 135° under the same conditions. 



The oil isolated by the writers did not give any furfurol reaction nor 

 deposit any crystals, and was also in these respects different from the oil 

 isolated by Power and Browning, which gave a furfurol reaction and 

 deposited crystals that crystallized from ethylacetate as needles melt- 

 ing at 112° to 114°, and consisted apparently of acetovanillon. Table 

 II is of interest, since it shows the character and amount of plants used 

 and the amount of oil yielded. 



Table II. — Resuli^ of distillations of cotton plants 



Weight of 

 plants. 



Oil yield. 

 Weight. 



Percentage 

 of plant 

 weight. 



Description of plants. 



May 2 and 3 

 May 4 



May 5 



May 8 



Do 



May 9 



Do 



May 21 



May 26 



May 31 



June I 



June 4 and 5 . . 

 June 6 and 1 1 . 



Total of lots . . . 

 Average of lots . 



Pounds. 



1,444 



24 



53° 

 86 



87 



160 



124 



25 



55 



431 



4 



528 



624 



4, 122 



Gm. 



2-933 

 .586 



4- 253 

 • 765 

 . 240 



1-347 



I. 194 



.409 



.380 



7-536 



- 130 



3. 760 



5.400 



28. 933 



o. 0004 

 .0054 



. 0017 

 . 0017 

 . 0006 

 . 0018 

 . 0021 

 . 0036 

 .0015 

 .0038 

 . 0071 

 . 0016 

 . 0019 



0015 



Seedlings. 



Squaring plants from 



hotbed. 

 Seedlings. 



Do. 



Do. 



Do. 



Do. 



Do. 



Do. 



Do. 

 Squaring from hotbed. 

 Sea Island cotton. 

 Field cotton squaring. 



BXPERIMENTAIy WORK ^ 



The fresh plants, collected in the vicinity of Tallulah, La., were dis- 

 tilled as soon as possible with steam in a specially constructed apparatus. 

 The distillate was shaken out with ether and the ether removed by 

 placing the container in warm water, finally using water of about 50° to 

 60° C. All ether was considered removed when the oil show^ed little or no 

 loss in weight after a few minutes' heating at this temperature. 



1 The kind assistance of Mr. L- A. Sallinger, of the Savannah Laboratory, and Dr. A. R. Albright, of 

 the Food Investigation Laboratory, is hereby gratefully acknowledged. 



