— 14 — 



are completely exhausted. We hope in the course of this summer, 

 with the help of our own cultivations, to make once for all an end 

 of the scarcity. 



Cade Oil. The information by C. Pepin, on the origin, 

 production, and properties of cade oil given in our last Report 1 ), may 

 here be supplemented by some further details from the hand of the 

 same author 2 ). According to these, an oil derived from Junipems 

 oxycedrus is mobile, has a smoky odour, an acidity of less than 1,5% 

 (calculated for acetic acid), and gives a brown coloration with petroleum 

 ether and copper acetate. Between 150 and 300 (ordinary pressure), 

 at least 65% must pass over; between 100 and 215 (65 mm. pressure), 

 at least 70 to 75% °f tne °^- 



Cajeput Oil. In the shipments from Macassar during last year 

 a further falling off is to be recorded, for, according to the export 

 lists received, only 3713 baskets have been exported between January 1 

 and December 31, 1906, against 3935 baskets in the previous year. 

 The prices remained unchanged, as the demand from the consumers 

 leaves much to be desired. 



In the above figures for 1906 are naturally not included the 

 considerable quantities received by us, as previously mentioned, from 

 a German producer in Buru direct. 



As the first part of a work on the Australian melaleucas, 

 R. T. Baker and H. G. Smith 3 ) give a description of the two species 

 Melaleuca thymifolia Sm. ("thyme-leaved tea tree") and M. linariifolia Sm. 

 ("tea tree"). As in the case of the eucalypts described by the same 

 authors, they give here also detailed information on the oils contained in 

 the above species, of which we quote the important points in the following. 



Melaleuca thymifolia Sm. Leaves distilled in April yielded 2,28 °/ 

 essential oil of a faint yellow colour, which behaved exactly like a 

 good eucalyptus oil rich in cineol, except in so far as it was much 

 more difficultly soluble.' di 5 o 0,9134; «r>23°+ 20l/ ; n r>23° 14665; 

 sap. no. 3,1; ester no. after acetylation 33,6; the oil is insoluble in 

 10 vol. 70 per cent, alcohol, but dissolves already in 0,5 vol. 80 per 

 cent, alcohol; when more alcohol is added, cloudiness occurs soon; 

 with 90 per cent, alcohol it behaves in a similar manner. 



The bulk of the oil (86%) boils between 172 to 183 . The 

 cineol -content determined by the phosphoric acid method amounted 

 to 53%; in addition to this, very small quantities of aldehydes were 

 present, whilst pinene and phellandrene could not be detected. The 



*) Report October 1906, 13. 



2 ) Journ. de Pharm. et Chim. VI. 24 (1906), 248. 



3 ) The Australian Melaleucas and their essential oils. Proceed, of the Linnean 

 Soc. of N. S. W. 40 (1906), 60. 



