— 55 — 



It would be interesting to know what is the quantity still remaining 

 in the hands of this Association, and upon what factors, with the 

 present hopeless outlook for the article, the hopes of an improvement 

 in prices are founded. 



The following figures show the course of prices and the quantities 

 exported during the last eight years: — 



In 1901 exports totalled 13953 kilos, the price was about fr. 43 



1902 



I9°3 

 1904 



1905 

 1906 

 1907 

 1908 



17 193 



?> » J 



25323 



It » JJ 



27660 



» JJ >3 



38334 



» » >5 



31645 



» J> t 



31247 



» » » 



34360 



)) ?> >J 



36 



29 

 27 

 24 



22 

 21 

 20 



In January of the present year a few transactions for future delivery 

 were even put through at about 19 fr. The quality of the shipments 

 during the past year does not call for comment. 



In the course of the last few months the market in East Indian 

 geranium oil has been fairly animated. The favourable reports of 

 the forthcoming distillation, mentioned in our last Report, were revoked 

 as far back as the month of November, and thenceforward the cif. 

 quotations for palmarosa oil advanced from about 5/3 to about 7/-, 

 but the latter figure appears to indicate high -water -mark for the 

 present. It is said that in the producing districts severe fever-epidemics 

 have decimated the ranks of the coolies engaged for cutting the grass, 

 so that in many regions manufacturing has been interrupted. Ginger- 

 grass oil of unimpeachable quality is hardly being offered at all, 

 hence a great scarcity may occur shortly. 



In one of our earlier Reports 1 ) we have already called attention 

 to the occurrence in American peppermint oils of dimethyl sulphide 

 (CH 3 ) 2 S, at the same time giving some details as to the reactions 

 for the determination of this compound. Recently we have also suc- 

 ceeded in detecting the presence of this body in Reunion, as well 

 as in African, oil of geranium. 



On the occasion of working up a large parcel of Reunion oil we 

 obtained from the first runnings a fraction with a b. p. of 30 to 6o°, 

 which possessed in a marked degree the unpleasant odour of dimethyl 

 sulphide. By dint of repeated careful fractionation, pure dimethyl 

 sulphide, b. p. 37 , was recovered from this fraction. It was identified 



3 ) Report October 1896, 58. 



