— 59 — 



ted, a body was formed of which the analysis pointed to a tribromo- 

 product. In addition, methyleugenol was shown to be present, and was 

 identified by oxidation into veratric acid (m. p. 178 to 179°). 



The dry wood 1 ) yielded 0,56% oil: (d^ 1,035; «d-+-1,4; n D23 o 1,5373; 

 sap. v. 3,1) which, as already mentioned in our previous Report, consists 

 chiefly of methyleugenol (m. p. of the tribromide 77 to 78°, m. p. of the 

 veratric acid 178 to 179°). No eugenol was discovered. The high-boiling 

 fractions gave the colour reactions of cadinene. 



Delft Grass Oil. Up to the present nothing was known concerning 

 the oil of delft grass, Cymbopogon polyneuros, Stapf 2 ), a grass which is 

 distinguished by its anise- or fennel-like odour, and the examination of 

 four samples of this oil, published by the Imperial Institute in London 3 ) 

 is therefore of interest. The oils were prepared by Jowitt 4 ) at Bandara- 

 wela (Ceylon), and their properties have been determined by Samuel 

 S. Pickles 5 ) in London. The oil yields ranged from 0,20 to 0,34 °/ . The 

 samples had a yellowish to red-brown colour and a peculiar sweetish 

 odour, which however was quite distinct from the odour of citronella or 

 lemongrass oil: d 15o 0,936 to 0,951, « D + 30°53' to 55° 15'. All the four 

 samples were soluble in 1 vol. of 80% alcohol; upon the addition of 

 10 vols, the solutions turned opalescent to cloudy. The proportion of 

 acetylable constituents ("total alcohol") varied from 38,7 to 51,8°/o, cal- 

 culated for CioHisO, but whether alcoholic compounds really occur in 

 the oils has not been ascertained. No further details of the composition 

 of the oils are given. 



Dill Oil remains scarce, the yield from German -grown seed having 

 left much to be desired on an average. On several occasions we have 

 come across dill oil offered by competitors which was adulterated with 

 carvone to such an extent as to be almost unrecognisable. 



Dill fruit, sent to the Imperial Institute in London from Cape Colony, 

 yielded an essential oil which corresponded in every respect with the 

 European distillate: d 15o 0,9117, « D + 77°3\ soluble in 6 to 6,5 vols, of 

 80° o alcohol. The fruit was derived from plants which had been grown 



*) Report October 1910, 145. A copy of Baker and Smith's book reached us shortly after 

 closing for press with that Report; hence we were unable to make reference to the description 

 of the oil from Dacrydium Franklinii contained in the book. In any case Baker and Smith's 

 communication was published prior to our own. 



2 ) Comp. Report April 1907, 35. 



3 ) Circulars and Agricultural Journal of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Ceylon, Vol. V, 

 No. 12, November 1910, 141. 



4 ) Comp. Report October 1909, 42. 



5 ) Bull. Imp. Inst. 8 (1910), 144. 



