- 94 — i 



Pine-needle Oils. The popular Siberian pine-needle oil was plenti- 

 fully available, but so much interest was shown for the large parcels 

 which were offered from Russia that it was ultimately necessary to pay 

 higher prices. This has caused the market to take a firm tone, which 

 will probably grow still more pronounced in the course of the winter- 

 months, when no fresh supplies can be expected from Siberia. For this 

 reason we cannot too strongly advise our customers to make their con- 

 tracts now, so as to avoid having to pay higher prices in the end, as 

 they may have to do if they hesitate too long. 



The supply of oil from the cones of Abies pectinata (01. templinum) 

 has remained plentiful, and we have even been able to reduce our prices 

 somewhat. It has been possible up to the present to procure sufficient 

 quantities of oil from Pinus Pumilio 1 ) at unchanged prices, but it is not 

 likely that the scarcity which is already talked about will be much longer 

 delayed, because in some parts the needful raw material is no longer 

 obtainable and several districts have consequently ceased to produce. We 

 understand that a scheme is being mooted for taking up distilling on a 

 large scale in Transylvania, but in view of the want of success in other 

 parts of Austria-Hungary there appears to be a good deal of difficulty in 

 interesting experts in the project, although on its merits it would seem 

 to hold out prospects of success. 



There has been an abundant supply of oil from Abies pectinata from 

 Lower Austria and the Black Forest, and the position of this article 

 therefore does not call for remark. The field for its employment has been 

 much enlarged by the various "air purifiers" and appliances for spraying 

 perfume in rooms which are now on the market. 



Oil from the seeds of Abies pectinata. The receipt of a small parcel 

 of seed from Abies pectinata afforded us an opportunity of distilling this pro- 

 duct by itself, whereas ordinarily the seed is worked up together with the 

 cones. As the cones owe their oil principally to the seed which is enclosed 

 in them, it was to be expected that the oil yield from the seed alone would 

 be very high and that the distillate would completely agree, as regards its 

 characters, with the ordinary oil from cones. Both these anticipations were 

 realised, but it was necessary to crush the seeds before placing them in the * 

 still, as otherwise not one-fifth of the oil contained in them would be recov- J 

 ered. For whereas the seed when whole only yields 2,3 p. c. oil, the crushed 

 seeds yielded from 12 to 13 p. c. As already stated, the constants were 

 those of the oil from cones and, in our distillates, ranged within the 

 following limits: d 15 o 0,8629 to 0,8668, « D — 68° 14' to —76° 38', n D20 o 1,47636 

 to 1,47812, acid v. 0,5 to 1,8, ester v. 0,9 to 3,7 corresponding to 0,3 to 



x ) This Report contains two illustrations showing the production of Pinus Pumilio oil in 

 the Tyrol. 



