— 73 — 



source, the ordinary commercial product known under the name "oil 

 of golden rod", does not originate from a definite species of solidago, 

 but is a distillation -mixture from the most diverse solidago species, 

 which are very numerously represented in the United States. A. Gray 1 ) 

 describes in his Flora of the Northern United States alone 42 

 solidago species. 



The full name of the mother plant of the other solidago oil 

 mentioned in our Report, is, according to Gray, Solidago nemoralis Aiton. 



Spearmint Oil. After a long time we have once more received 

 Russian spearmint oil 2 ), which, as is well known, has a much lower 

 specific gravity and a lower optical rotation than the American 

 and German distillates, and differs from these chiefly by its high 

 linalool-content, and its low content of carvone. We reproduce here, 

 on account of its interest, the constants of the oil, which has a stale 

 feeble odour like spearmint: d 15 o 0,8873; a D — 25 16'; n D20° l A7°7%' } 

 acid no. 1,1; ester no. 15,9; soluble in 2,2 vol. and more 80 per cent, 

 alcohol; soluble in 1 and more vol. 80 per cent, alcohol. 



Another Russian distillate had the following properties: d^o 0,8884; 

 a D — 2 5° 2q/ ; n i)20° 147088; acid no. o; ester no. 15,1; soluble in 3 

 and more vol. 70 per cent, alcohol. Contrary to these, the American 

 and German distillates have the following properties: d^o 0,92 to 

 0,94; «d — 36 to — 48 ; soluble in about 1 vol. and more 80 percent 

 alcohol; the dilute solution has a faint opalescence. 



The Russian oil can scarcely be regarded as a substitute to the 

 American spearmint oil which after a long period of high prices is 

 now lowering to a reasonable limit. The crop is said to be a good one. 



Spike Oil. The extraordinary drought which has this year 

 destroyed all hope for normal prices of lavender oil, has unfortunately 

 also been fatal for spike oil, and although prices of 12 francs, such 

 as ruled last year, need not be paid now, unobjectionable oil can 

 scarcely be bought below 9 to 9.50 francs per kilo. Although such 

 prices render the use of this article prohibitive for many purposes, 

 the position of the lavender- oil market is a guarantee that there will 

 be no lack of persons interested in spike oil. 



In his work on the influence of cross-fertilisation between lavender 

 and spike on the quality of their essential oils, A. Birckenstock 3 ) 

 also discusses the differences existing between pure spike oils when 



x ) Asa Gray, Manual of the botany of the Northern United States, p. 246. 



2 ) Comp. Gildemeister and Hoffmann, The Volatile Oils, p. 653; Bericht 

 April 1889, 23 and Report April 1898, 45. 



8 ) Moniteur scientifique Quesneville, May 1906; comp. also the corresponding 

 article under lavender oil, p. 43. 



