24 



COMMERCIAL TURPENTINES. 



Jacksonville, Fla., boards of trade and also from the inspectors of the 

 New York naval stores committee. 



The color of these samples was read against the standard yellow 

 glass on the Lovibond tintometer, marked " 1." The turpentine was 

 placed in a graduated 200-mm tube and the depth of the column of 

 turpentine required to equal the color of the glass was carefully noted, 

 using the Schreiner type of colorimeter. The longer the column of 

 turpentine required to match the glass, the less color there is in the 

 turpentine. The results are expressed in millimeters, which show the 

 length of column or depth of turpentine required to equal the stand- 

 ard yellow glass No. 1. The following results were obtained on these 

 standard samples: 



Comparison of standard turpentine samples from different sources. 



1 This sample probably should have been marked "water white.'' 



These results show that the standard samples obtained from differ- 

 ent sources are far from uniform and indicate different practices on 

 the chief primary markets. It is the usual custom, however, as pre- 

 viously stated, to mix small quantities of off-shade turpentine with the 

 standard or water-white products and thus the off-shade output is 

 used and sold without getting beyond the primary markets. The 

 variations noted in the standards have, therefore, but little signifi- 

 cance in the retail trade where, in general, but one grade of turpentine 

 is recognized, though, as will be seen by consulting the tables, there is 

 a great variation in the color of commercial turpentine, which point 

 as an indication of quality should undoubtedly receive more careful 

 consideration from the consumer than it does. 



PROPOSED SPECIFICATIONS FOB TURPENTINE. 



Buyers of large quantities of turpentine have long specified certain 

 tests with which the turpentine they purchased must comply. In 

 the main, most of these are reasonable and will be met by carefully 

 made turpentine when freshly distilled. The constants and stand- 

 ards thus set differ slightly in different specifications, and some of 

 them are unnecessarily severe, causing the rejection of much good 

 turpentine. It seems well, therefore, to suggest specifications for 



