for many unscrupulous dealers are found who are in the habit of mixing 

 flowers exhausted by distillation with the fresh lavender. 



Lamothe advocates the total and permanent exclusion of the hybrid 

 from all commercial uses, but at the same time he suggests that on account 

 of its profusion in flowering and its hardy character it shall be given a 

 place of honour as an ornamental plant. 



E. Th. Brewis and J. C. Umney 1 ) report on the changes which English 

 lavender oil undergoes under certain circumstances during storing. The 

 reason for the investigation was the fact that as a result of the high prices 

 now ruling, supplies were being placed upon the English market which 

 showed quite abnormal characters, indicating a percentage of esters so 

 high as to lead to the idea that the oils were mixed with French oils. A 

 more careful investigation, however, showed that the samples merely re- 

 presented old oils which had become much resinified as the result of 

 years of keeping. The oils were instantly distinguishable by their un- 

 pleasant, resinous, acetic odour. They also had an exceptionally high 

 sp. gr., and in most cases the proportion of free acid and ester was un- 

 commonly large. The sp.gr. varied according to the degree of resinification, 

 the maximum being 0,9885, the acidity varied up to 3,22 °/o (calc. as acetic 

 acid) and the ester-content up to 22,7 °/o (cala as linalyl acetate). The 

 corresponding values of normal oils were as follow: di 5 o 0,884 to 0,896, 

 acidity 0, in one instance 0,12°/ , ester content 5,9 to 11%. 



In view of the fact that the degree of resinification was independent 

 of the age of the oils (a few oils even giving normal constants after more 

 than 10 years' keeping), Brewes and Umney consider that the changes are 

 connected with the percentage of moisture remaining in the oil, all essential 

 oils containing a certain percentage of water dating from the time of their 

 distillation. They are now engaged in studying the matter from this point 

 of view, and they regard it as necessary that more attention should be 

 given to the drying and storing of the oils than has been done at present. 



The Bulletin of the Imperial Institute [9 (1911), p. 401] contains an 

 article on lavender-growing in England' 2 ). As we have only lately dealt 

 at some length with the cultivation of lavender at Mitcham and in other 

 districts of England, we will content ourselves with a mere reference to 

 the article in question 3 ). 



Lemongrass Oil. With the exception of a short period of pronounced^, 

 dulness which occurred in December, the tendency of this important article 

 has been firm throughout the last few months. The quotations fell from 



*) Perfum. and Essent. Oil Record 3 (1912), 5. 



2 ) Quoted from Journ. Board Agric. U. K. 18 (1911), 566. 



;5 ) Report October 1910, 75. 



