— 75 — 



nitrogen is squandered (apart from the unnecessary expense), and in 

 spite of this, a good crop can only then be reckoned upon, in view 

 of the large quantity of potash required by mint, if the soil is 

 extraordinarily rich in potash, a fact which has been confirmed by 

 Belle's experiments. These experiments showed that mint requires 

 a very abundant fertilisation which at the same time must be capable 

 of ready assimilation, owing to the great demand of this plant for 

 fertilisers, and its rapid growth; for this reason the nitrogen is best 

 added to the fertiliser in the form of anorganic compounds, rather 

 than in organic form. For normal soils Belle recommends, in view 

 of his experiments, the following fertilisation: 20000 kilos stable 

 manure, 300 kilos Chili saltpetre, 400 kilos superphosphate, and 

 300 kilos potassium sulphate; or 1500 kilos sesame oil cakes, 300 kilos 

 Chili saltpetre, 400 kilos superphosphate, and 500 kilos potassium 

 sulphate per hectare. The Chili saltpetre is best distributed in two 

 portions, two thirds when planting the mint (at the end of February 

 or the beginning of March), and one third about the middle of May. 

 For the rest, the Chili saltpetre can be replaced by ammonium sulphate, 

 of which a quantity of 225 kilos is put into the soil immediately on 

 planting. The superphosphate and the potassium sulphate are spread 

 at the same time as the stable manure. 



Petitgrain Oil. We are unfortunately not yet in a position to 

 announce to our friends the prospect of an approach of improved 

 conditions for this article, for the supplies are now as before so short, 

 that they are mostly absorbed by contracts made at earlier dates. 

 From the producing district it is reported that the bad state of affairs 

 is growing worse, for the forests have recently been attacked by a 

 devastating plague of locusts, so that it is necessary to remove the 

 manufactories to other districts. This shows that the production is 

 meeting with an increasing number of obstacles. 



Pilea Oil. In our Reports (October 1906, 83 and April 1907, 

 105) we recently described as a novelty pilea oil, in which we had 

 detected a small quantity of pinene, whilst the principal constituent 

 of the oil had not yet been discovered. Professor Semmler 1 ), at 

 whose disposal we placed the oil for the purpose of further examin- 

 ation, now states in a short publication that he has found in the 

 fraction of the b. p. 167 to 168 , representing the bulk of pilea oil, 

 sabinene (d'200 0,8402; a D -[- 6i°2o / ; 11^1,46954). The identity 

 with sabinene was seen from the formation of sabinene glycol (b. p. 150 

 to 1 54 at 9 mm. pressure; d 2 (p 1,0332; riD 1,48519; molecular 

 refraction found 47,17, calculated for C 10 H 18 O 2 46,97) on oxidation 



*) Berl. Berichte 40 (1907), 2963. 



