38 



t 



Cinnamon Oil, Ceylon, German Pharmacopoeia V. The market 

 in cinnamon chips, which are chiefly used for the preparation of cinnamon 

 oil, has undergone only slight fluctuations in the course of the summer, 

 and the prices of our distillate have therefore also remained unaltered. It 

 is notorious that the cinnamon crop in the early months of this year was 

 larger than had been anticipated, because as a result of the high prices 

 which ruled, the natives had cut back the shrubs more freely than usual. 

 It is therefore feared that the principal crop, which may be later this year 

 than is ordinarily the case, will show a not inconsiderable shortage. So 

 far, however, we are without further information on this subject. 



In the first half of the year the exports of cinnamon from Ceylon, 

 according to returns supplied by Messrs. Freudenberg § Co. of Colombo, 

 were as follows: — 



1912 1911 



to Germany 370781 lbs. 184354 lbs. 



„ Spain. 276407 „ 178805 „ 



„ United Kingdom .. 107820 „ 97525 „ 



„ Italy . . 63078 „ 43568 „ 



„ Holland 8500 „ 9601 „ 



„ America 166780 „ 203600 „ 



During the same period the shipments of cinnamon chips amounted 

 to 1318059 lbs., compared with 1300851 lbs. in the same period of 1911. 



A sample of a Ceylon cinnamon oil which had been sold in London 

 at less than the market price by a German wholesale drug-house was 

 submitted to us from that City for our opinion. Analysis confirmed the 

 suspicion that the oil was sophisticated. For whereas pure Ceylon cinnamon 

 oil has a sp.gr. from 1,023 to 1,040 and is slightly lsevorotatory, the 

 sample in question was too heavy (di 5 o 1,0423) and, singularly enough, 

 exhibited dextrorotation (a D + 0°H'), these abnormalities being obviously 

 caused by an addition of cassia oil, a much cheaper article. The ex- 

 ceptionally high aldehyde content of the oil (77 p. c, against a normal 

 aldehyde content of 65 to 76 p. c.) was in harmony with this adulteration. 



The oil was reputed to conform to the requirements of the British 

 Pharmacopoeia. Apart from the fact that sophisticated oils are in any* | 

 case excluded from medicinal use, the oil in question would fail to pass* 

 the B. P. test on account of its sp. gr. being too high. 



Citronella Oil. Since our last Report was published, Ceylon citronella 

 oil has further slowly increased in price. Consumers, however, kept out 

 of the market and fell back upon their old stocks. Then, when it became 

 evident that the increased demands were not without justification, the 

 sudden rush of orders drove up prices in the course of a few weeks by 



