EDITORIAL, 357 



Speaking of the plantations started near Tonkin, Eoure-Bertrand Fils 

 state that these are certainly to be encouraged. 



For the oil of ylang has become of prime necessity in perfumery and it is 

 troublesome to depend on the production of a single country, the stability of 

 which is far from being assured. Bull. Eoure-Bertrand Fils (1902), 2, 30. 



It would seem that the very high rates which we have experienced for several 

 years ought to be modified to a very sensible extent. Such however, has not been 

 the case. This is due to causes absolutely independent of the abundance of the 

 harvests. Bull. Eoure-Bertrand Fils (1904), 1, 48. 



We have received a large shipment of several thousand bottles [of eananga 

 oil] direct from Batavia. Eeport Schimmel & Co. (1904), 2, 16. 



Exceptionally fine qualities can always be sold quickly and without trouble, 

 but medium qualities remain difiicult to dispose of and are frequently replaced 

 by fine eananga oil. Eeport Schimmel & Co. (1904), 2, 92. 



There is an imminent danger of over-production [of Reunion oil] and a con- 

 sequent slump in the prices. Report Schimmel & Co. (1906), 2. 



The following paragraph illustrates the advantage of employing analy- 

 tical data in the valuation of the oil. 



Good qualities are always sought after and fetch high prices. This is ex- 

 plained by the fact that, outside the well known brands, it is difficult to buy 

 this oil with proper security. Bull. Roure-Bertrand Fils (1907), 1i 37. 



Eoure-Bertrand make the following statement in regard to Eeunion 

 oil: 



This oil is of very good quality, but it differs distinctly in odor from that 

 of Manila oil, so that the one can not be employed as the equivalent of the other. 

 Bull. Roure-Bertrand Fils (1909), 1, 57. 



In the same year Schimmel and Company call attention to the in- 

 creased production in Eeunion, and state also that about 25,000 trees 

 were set out in the Island of Nossi-Be near Madagascar. They also com- 

 ment on the results obtained on ylang-ylang oil by De Jong in Java. 

 As the chemists of the above firm point out, better methods of distillation 

 undoubtedly would improve the quality of Java oil, yef it is worthy of 

 note that De Jong did not obtain oils having ester numbers higher than 

 37.3 and saponification number after acetylation greater than 66.7 to 

 77.8, showing a much lower content of both alcohols and their esters than 

 good Philippine oil. 



In April, 1910, Eoure-Bertrand Fils state that the market was flooded 

 with second quality oils. "The competition of oils from the French 

 colonies is becoming daily more formidable." The best Philippine oil 

 is quoted at less than 400 francs. They estimate that the production of 

 ylang-ylang oil in Eeunion, during the year 1910, exceeds 2,000 kilos, 

 and state that in two or three years this will amount to 4.000 kilos. 



In their semiannual report for April, 1910, Schimmel and Company 

 comment on the enormous production of ylang-ylang oil in Eeunion and 



