— 137 — 



demand from Japan was especially strong; we received from that 

 country several telegraphic orders for large quantities. Our production 

 in the course of the last six months reached a height never attained 

 before. 



As a protection against gnats, S chill 1 ) recommends the application 

 on the uncovered parts of the body (hands, neck and face) of a 

 solution of thymol in 50 per cent, alcohol (2:100) by means of a 

 tuft of cotton wool. 



Vanillin. During the last few months the prices have fluctuated 

 according to the value of the raw material, clove oil. 



It was recently reported that a fresh process had been discovered 

 by which vanillin could be produced cheaply from guaiacol; this made 

 its debut with a heavy fall in the prices. There is again every 

 appearance of a slaughtering of the prices, unless the manufacturers 

 should prefer at the last moment to come to an understanding; it 

 is no longer possible to make much out of this acticle. 



On the situation of the vanilla market, the Editor of the "Chemist 

 and Druggist" publishes a discussion 2 ) of which we reproduce here 

 a summary. The exceptionally heavy sales of vanilla at the last 

 auctions held in London at the beginning of the year, and the large 

 quantities imported, had depressed the prices continually, and had 

 been a great disappointment to the planters in Mauritius and the 

 Seychelles. A well-known Paris firm made use of this dissatisfaction 

 to appeal to the planters, in a circular addressed to them, to bring 

 their goods to the Paris market, instead of to London, laying stress 

 on the fact that the London auctions only took place after the principal 

 demand for vanilla had been covered, and consequently led to lower 

 prices than could be obtained in Paris. Against this attempt to transfer 

 the London market to France, the Editor of the "Chemist and Druggist" 

 makes a determined stand, especially in view of the expected qualit- 

 atively and quantitatively unsatisfactory results of the harvest in conse- 

 quence of the prolonged drought and heat. He explains in detail 

 the advantages which the planters derive precisely from the sale of 

 their goods in London, as there vanilla is not sold by private treaty 

 as in France, but by public auction, when naturally the highest prices 

 are obtained, and every brand and quality finds its purchaser. From 

 the official quotations subsequently published, the planters can then 

 see what has been sold and how much has been paid. 



*) Dtsch. med. Wchschr. 1904, 1277 according to Apoth. Ztg. 19 (1904), 679. 

 2 ) Chemist and Druggist 64 (1904), 897, 966. 



