' — 101 — 



It was well-known already that the wood of sandal trees growing on 

 dry, rocky, mountainous soil is harder and richer in oil than that of trees 

 cultivated in fertile soil 1 ), and this belief is confirmed by investigations 

 made by Puran Singh 2 ). The wood examined by him was grown on soil 

 of the most widely varying character. For the purpose of determining the 

 oil-content, Singh adopted three different methods: 1. The wood-dust ob- 

 tained by means of a rasp-file was subjected to steam-distillation. 2. The 

 wood-dust was extracted with ether in a Soxhlet apparatus. 3. The wood- 

 dust was boiled in alcohol in a reflux-condenser or macerated in cold 

 alcohol during one week. By mixing the oils obtained from the different 

 samples of wood, Singh prepared an average sample which possessed the 

 following constants: d 2 eo 0,9765, <* D — 15,6 to — 16°, sap. v. 9,72, ester v. 

 after acet. 211,3, santalol-content, calc. according to the formula Ci 5 H 2 6 

 = 99,4 p. c. Converted into the true formula for santalol, C15H24O, the 

 santalol-content of the sample would amount to 98,65 p. c. These values 

 do not agree with those observed for normal oils, which is probably 

 accounted for by the fact that, as the author himself indicates, the wood 

 was not sufficiently exhaustively distilled. For this reason it is unneces- 

 sary to enter into further consideration of the values given by Singh. 



M. Rama Rao 3 ) reports on the plants which serve as hosts of the 

 sandal tree; that tree, as was shown a long time ago, being a root-parasite 4 ). 

 Rama Rao enumerates no fewer than 144 species upon whose roots the 

 haustoria of the sandal tree have been detected. He has furthermore 

 prepared a list of 252 plants with which the sandal tree is found in 

 association. 



Sandalwood Oil, West Indian. No changes in prices are to be 

 reported. We have continued to import by far the greater part of the 

 supplies of West Indian sandalwood. Our excellent distilling plant enables 

 us to offer the article at advantageous prices and for large contracts we 

 are prepared to submit special offers. 



On the detection of /?-caryophyllene in West Indian sandalwood oil, 

 see p. 149. 



Sassafras Oil. Our New York branch reports that some difficulty has 

 occasionally arisen in procuring sassafras oil of reliable quality and that 

 as a result of this the tone of the market is firm. The information 

 supplied by our friends relates of course to the position in the producing 

 districts, for in New York there is never any scarcity in the article, because 



x ) Gildemeister and Hoffmann, The Volatile Oils, 1 st Ed., p. 339. 



2 ) Forest Bulletin No. 6, 1911, Calcutta. 



») Indian Forest Records 2 (1911), Pt. 4. Quoted from Bull. Imp. Inst. 10 (1912), 325. 



4 ) Comp. Report October 1904, 84; April 1905, 74. 



