— 22 — 



terpenes. The latex when distilled, yielded 3,8% essential oil of a 

 faint odour of menthene: dff§ 0,8057, « D + 31,2° n D22 o 1,457. When the oil 

 had been allowed to stand for about 10 months, a resinous precipitate had 

 formed in the bottle, from which the oil was separated. This precipitate 

 boiled at 154 to 155° (corr.): d 19 o 0,7929, « D ±0, n D19Q 1,4437. Analysis 

 showed it to possess the formula Ci H 20 . Found: C 85,77%, H 14,15%; 

 calc. as C10H20 C 85,71%, H 14,29%. The hydrocarbon is therefore a 

 menthane. The original oil probably contained a menthene, from which, 

 during keeping, a menthane had been formed. Acetic and butyric acids 

 were found in the distillation water. 



Oil of Athrotaxis selaginoides, Don. 1 ) This conifer occurs in Tas- 

 mania, where it goes by the name of "King William Pine". The 

 leaves, distilled in July, yielded 0,076% essential oil with the following 

 properties: djfi 0,8765, « D + 74,8°, n D16Q 1,4905, ester v. 8,6 = 3% ester 

 CH 3 COOCioHi 7 . The oil was sparingly soluble in ordinary alcohol, but 

 it dissolved in any proportion of absolute alcohol. Upon distillation it 

 proved to consist almost entirely of d-limonene ([«] D + 112,2°; m. p. of 

 the tetrabromide 104°). Traces of pinene, and perhaps also of cadinene 

 appeared to be present, as well as a phenol, possibly carvacrol. 



Basilicum Oil. Since we replenished our supplies last autumn by 

 an arrival of Java oil of the finest quality, no further changes in prices 

 have occurred. The use of this oil in high-class perfumery appears to 

 have somewhat diminished in the course of the past few years. 



E. G. Camus and A. Camus 2 ) have recently carried out the botanical 

 examination of the cultivated species of Basilicum. There are several 

 varieties of Ocimum Basilicum, L. The variety purpurascens, Benth. (Ocimum 

 medium, Mill.; O. nigrum, Thouin), which is regarded by several authors as 

 a distinct species, is cultivated under the name of violet- red basil. 



The var. thyrsiflorum, Benth. (Ocimum thyrsiflorum, Jacq.) is known as 

 the common white basil. The var. album, Benth. {Ocimum album, L; 

 0. laxum, Vahl.; 0. americanum, Jacq. non L.) is cultivated under the name 

 of lettuce-leaf basil, while the var. crispum, E. G. Cam. (Ocimum crispum, 

 Thunb.?) is grown under the name of curly-leaved basil. 



The authors treat in detail of the morphological and anatomical con- 

 ditions of the various degenerate species and in conclusion describe the 

 different essential oils, of which the properties are summarised in the 

 table below. 



The variety most suitable for cultivation is 0. crispum (curly- leaved 

 basil) because it yields the highest percentage of oil, while so far as 



*) Baker and Smith, A Research on tfie fines* of Australia, Sydney 1910, p. 303. Also 

 comp. the present Report, p. 148. 



2 ) Berichte von Roure-Bertrand Fils, October 1910, 23. 



