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delicacy. This, in fact, is all that the Germans are trying to bring 

 about, and it may be assumed that the other side are quite well aware 

 of the fact, although the object is represented under another guise. 

 The German perfumery manufacturers, and no doubt the manufacturers 

 in other countries also, will be delighted if they are offered a better 

 quality of merchandise than formerly and no doubt they will be quite 

 prepared to pay higher prices for such a quality than they have paid 

 in the past for normal oil. The whole article in the paper in question 

 almost makes the impression as if the great days of adulterated oil 

 belong to the past, and as if therefore it is impossible to urge too 

 strongly the extension of the plantations. If this is so, the German 

 firms, or the "German Chemists", could have rendered no service 

 worthy of greater thanks. But is it likely that this point of view and 

 this possibility have been present in the mind of "Un Montagnard"? 

 Well, hardly! 



But the article also admits of another inference, namely that the 

 reason for the present exorbitantly high price of lavender oil may be 

 found in the fact that really pure oil is not to be had in the market 

 at present, and that the lavender oils which were offered so plentifully 

 for some time, were actually all adulterated. 



Since the article quoted above appeared, we have seen a contribution 

 on the subject in the journal La Parfumerie Moderne 1 ), of which the 

 following is a translation: — 



The foreign distilling-plants in France. — The firm of Schimmel^Co. 

 of Leipzig has put up a new chimney at its factory in Barreme. This 

 chimney is a significant symbol, which our French distillers will often 

 behold in their dreams as if it were a menace 



It is worthy of note that the same firm has leased at the enormous 

 rental of 1000 francs each two small communal fields at Annot, fields 

 which in previous years no one would look at for 200 francs or even 

 less. A foreign firm has carried the bidding for the lease of a lavender 

 field belonging to the Commune of Greolieres, which last year realised 

 250 francs, up to 1222 francs. Finally, however, this field was knocked 

 down to a Frenchman, M. Beilet of Le Bar. 



These figures indicate excellent prices. Especially when the 

 Germans referred to, who distil very little oil in their own factory, 

 which is really a decorative one, are anxious to buy as fast as they 

 can and at increased prices, for those blockheads who pay 10 francs 

 per kilo more for an oil which is alleged to have been distilled in a 

 German factory . . . 



And then it is expected that Frenchmen should be found childish 

 enough to pay more than the market-price for these alleged perfected 

 oils 



These spiteful allegations far exceed the limits of the permissible 

 according to what is held becoming in this country, and we do not intend 

 to honour the writer with a reply. His assertions, moreover, are sufficiently 

 disproved by the explanations which we have given above, and for the 

 rest we leave it to our readers to form their own opinion of this attack. 



l ) Par pirn, moderne 8 (1912), 98. 



