— 23 



its odour is concerned the essential oil from this variety is in no wise in- 

 ferior to the ordinary commercial product. 



The oil from the lettuce-leaved basil (var. album) gives a slightly 

 cloudy solution with 70% alcohol, all the other oils make clear solutions 

 when mixed with from 2 to 3 times their vol. and more of 70% alcohol. 

 The methylchavicol (estragol) content of all the oils (ascertained by the 

 determination of the methoxyl- group) was about 55%. 



Constants 



Ocimum Basilicum 



var. thyrsiflorum 

 crop 1910 1909 



var. crisp um 

 1910 



var. album 

 1910 



var. purpurascens 

 1910 1909 



« D of the ace- 

 tylated oil 



n D20O 



Acid value . 



Ester value . 



Ester-content 

 calc. as li- 

 nalyl acet. 



Ester v. after 

 acet 



Alcohol con- 

 tent calc. as 

 linalool . . 



Yield 



Bay Oil 



0,9168 

 -10°52 r 



f 1°36' 

 1,488 

 2,8 

 5,6 



1,96% 

 116,9 



0,9125 

 -11° 28' 



f 1°34' 

 1,484 



1,4 



3,5 



1,22% 



114,8 



0,9123 

 -10°30 r 



f 0°30' 

 1,484 

 2,1 

 4,9 



1,71% 

 116,9 



0,8975 

 — 12° 54' 



+ 0° 2' 

 1,479 

 0,7 

 7,0 



2,45% 



130,2 



0,8959 

 — 13° 52' 



+ 1°52' 

 1,477 

 3,5 

 9,8 



3,43% 

 126,7 



0,9100 

 — 10° 14' 



+ 3° 28' 

 1,477 

 2,1 



7,7 



2,68% 

 117,6 



35,43 % 



/o 34,50% 35,19% 39,66% 38,46% 

 0,0855% 0,1285% 0,0780% 0,0370% 



The obstacles in the way of obtaining suitable distilling 

 material from Dominica have lately become almost insurmountable, and 

 in order not to leave our customers in the lurch we have been forced to 

 have recourse to imported distilled oil. We hope, however, that before 

 very long we shall again be able to enter the market with oil of our own 

 manufacture. We have been compelled when laying in supplies of oil to act 

 with the utmost caution, because only the very smallest part of the oils 

 offered from the West Indies can compare with our own brand. Fortunately 

 the demand has been a little more animated during recent months, but 

 buyers of considerable quantities continue to be wanting. 



Buchu Leaf Oil. There has been little or no alteration in the posi- 

 tion of this article. Buchu leaves of unimpeachable quality have only 

 been obtainable at fancy prices, and for this reason we have for some 

 considerable time been unable to make up our minds to resume the dis- 

 tillation of buchu oil. The demand, however, has been entirely lacking, 

 so that the scarcity of the oil has not been particularly irksome to us. 



