12 COMMERCIAL TURPENTINES. 



quality of various lots of turpentine. Recognizing this fact many 

 users of large quantities buy on definite and rather strict specifica- 

 tions, and it would probably be of advantage to the trade if several 

 grades for turpentine were more generally recognized. 



About half of the turpentine produced in this country each year 

 is exported, chiefly to Europe, while by far the larger part of the 

 remainder is consumed in the varnish and paint industries, and 

 small quantities are used in medicine and as a solvent for gums, 

 rubber, fat, and waxes, in this country. No statistics are obtainable 

 showing the quantities consumed for the latter purposes, nor in 

 thinning paints and varnishes at the time they are actually used. 

 The distribution of turpentine produced in 1905 1 was as follows: 



Gallons. 



Produced 30, 687, 051 



Exported 15, 894, 813 



Used in manufacture of paints and varnishes 7, 160, 774 



Used in medicine, and as a solvent in other industries and for paint and 

 varnish thinning, etc. (by difference) 7, 631, 464 



COLLECTION AND CLASSIFICATION OF SAMPLES. 



The turpentine found on the American market is quite frequently 

 adulterated with cheaper and inferior oils, those most commonly 

 employed being the petroleum oils having specific gravities corre- 

 sponding closely to that of turpentine, and distilling at about the 

 same temperature. Other adulterants are certain coal-tar oils, 

 rosin spirits, and wood turpentine, which closely resemble turpen- 

 tine in specific gravity, distilling temperature, and some other 

 properties. 



Work on turpentines found on the American market was under- 

 taken under the Food and Drugs Act of June 30, 1906, for the 

 primary purpose of determining the nature and extent of adultera- 

 tion in turpentine sold for medicinal purposes. Furthermore, it is 

 desirable to know at what stage in the marketing of this article it is 

 generally adulterated. The naval stores industry is vitally inter- 

 ested in the matter, as the value of the turpentine output is ma- 

 terially affected by the practice of adulteration. It is quite common 

 for druggists, both wholesale and retail, to buy turpentine from 

 oil and paint dealers or from anyone handling it in large quantities, 

 and, therefore, samples have been secured from oil and paint dealers, 

 as well as from druggists, their stock being in many instances repre- 

 sentative of the turpentine sold at the drug stores in the same com- 

 munity. In fact rarely is any distinction made between turpen- 

 tines for drug or technical purposes. 



Though it is known that spirits of turpentine is very frequently 

 adulterated, no systematic investigation of the subject in this 



1 Later statistics on the quantity used in manufacture of paints and varnishes are not available. 



