21 



O (o s^jc5_> 



Fr. Watts and H. A. Temp any % of Antigua, have made researches 

 into the question in how far the age of bay leaves affects its yield of 

 oil and the properties of the oil produced. With this end in view 

 they distilled both young and old bay leaves from Montserrat. The 

 values which were ascertained were of such a character that it is impossible 

 to draw any direct inferences from them. 



Oil yield 



Sp. gr. of the oil 



Phenol 

 content 



Young bay leaves 

 Old bay leaves . 

 Young bay leaves 

 Old bay leaves . 



1.27 °/o 

 1.50% 

 LI." % 



30° 



dl5° 0,9648, dj^ 0,9507 



„ 0,9612, „ 0,9480 



28° 

 d^r^ 0,9308 



0,9505 



16,6° 



60% 



61% 



53% 



60,5 % 



It is also worthy of note that, contrary to previous statements in 

 the West Indian Bulletin, according to which Pimenta acris was said 

 not to flourish in the limestone soil of Antigua, Watts and Temp any 

 report that a considerable number of these trees are found in the island. 



Lemon-scented Bay Oil. Whereas the genuine bay leaves are 

 derived from Pimenta acris Wight, Watts and Tempany 2 ) state that 

 a variety known as Pimenta acris var. citrifolia occurs in the West Indian 

 Islands which externally resembles the genuine bay tree, but which 

 yields an oil known as "lemon - scented bay oil" on account of the 

 fact that its odour reminds at the same time of bay and of lemon. 

 Both these varieties of Pimenta are found growing side by side in 

 the Islands of Dominica, Montserrat, Barbuda, and Antigua. Fishlock 

 has made other investigations with regard to the distribution of the 

 trees in the Virgin Island of St. John, where the genuine bay tree 

 predominates, whereas in Torto-a almost exclusively the citrifolia variety 

 grows. 



Up to the present little i$. l^nown concerning lemon-scented bay 

 oil. An oil of this kind distilled many years ago by J. H. Hart pos- 

 sessed, according to our determinations, a specific gravity of 0,882 (25 ) 

 and an optical rotation of — o° 37'. The presence of citral was shown 

 by the preparation of a-citryl-/?-naphthocinchonic acid 3 ). The citral 

 content afterwards determined by Watts and Tempany by the 

 bisulphite process was 65 °/ . The last-named authors have lately 

 prepared a similar oil themselves from leaves grown in the island of 

 Tortola. They obtained a yield of i,ii°/ of a pale yellow oil of a 

 pronounced lemon-like odour with a peculiar additional aroma reminding 



1 ) West Indian Bulletin 9 (1908), 273. From a copy kindly sent to us. 



2 ) West Indian Bulletin 9 (1908), 275. From a copy kindly sent to us. 



3 ) Report October 1896, 73. 



