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Mustard Oil. The position of this article, which is well known to 

 be one of our specialities, has undergone a material alteration by the 

 substitution, in the Fifth Edition of the German Pharmacopoeia, of the 

 artificial for the natural oil. There is no doubt that this alteration will 

 adversely affect the consumption, the more so because it is to be ex- 

 pected that in the foreign pharmacopoeias of which new editions are now 

 in preparation, the German example will be followed. But however much 

 we may regret the disappearance of natural mustard oil from the ranks 

 of the more important essential oils, we are able to appreciate the reasons 

 that have induced the Pharmacopoeia-Commission to make the change, 

 for we have always been sceptical in regard to the existence of any 

 difference in practice in the action of the two mustard oils. Those firms 

 which have availed themselves of genuine mustard oil as a medium for 

 the display of their talents in sophistication, and have for so many years 

 derived an appreciable source of profit by selling with impunity an article 

 doctored with artificial oil, will no doubt cherish for evermore, with tender 

 sadness, the memory of their "genuine" mustard oil. 



Neroli Oil. Not for many years has a winter in the south of France 

 been so mild as that of 1910 — 1911. For the past three months the 

 weather there has been ideal, with practically no rainy days. The orange 

 trees are consequently in the pink of condition and if there should be 

 no spring frosts the flower-crop, although perhaps a little late, is certain 

 to be a very good one. It is therefore to be hoped that the price of 

 flowers, which during the last few years has ruled at 1 fr. or more, will 

 be lower this season. Unfortunately a few Grasse firms, through their 

 representatives, are already making contracts for flowers at 75 c. 

 per kilo with the object of detaching as many members as possible from 

 the "Societe cooperative de production des proprietaires d'orangers des 

 Alpes-Maritimes", and they even go to the length of declaring their 

 readiness to pay an excess-rate in case the prices should advance during 

 the gathering-season. In the circumstances the Society in question will 

 in all probability fix its price for flowers at 80 to 85 c, delivered free 

 at works, and will thus be able also to pay its members 75 c. Calcula- 

 ted upon this basis, the cost-price of pure neroli oil this season would 

 at most be 350 frs. per kilo, a figure which would again be equivalent 

 to a reduction on last season's quotation. That such a reduction is 

 generally anticipated is shown by the fact that last year's oil has lately 

 been obtainable at as low a price as from 400 to 450 frs., the holders 

 being intent upon disposing if possible of their stock at a half-ways accept- 

 able price before the new crop. But, as already observed, everything 

 may change if the plantations should happen to suffer damage by frost 

 within the next few weeks. 



The Societe cooperative received in 1910 a total of 1505115 kilos of 

 orange flowers, out of which quantity 1 306043 kilos were supplied to sundry 



