— 86 — 



In order to make sure that no carvone from caraway oil had been 

 added to the samples, the carvone was in each case separated out 

 with neutral sodium sulphite and regenerated. The specific gravity was 

 about 0,965 (15 ); the rotation lay between — 58 7' and — 59 50'. 

 From the normal character of the rotatory power it is evident that 

 no dextrorotatory carvone from caraway oil was present. 



Spike Oil. Under the weight of the commercial depression the 

 prices receded further in the course of the winter, until at last the 

 position induced a few large buyers to cover their requirements. At 

 the present time the stocks in first hand have become greatly reduced, 

 so that the quotations for pure quality have risen from about fr. 5 

 to fr. 6.50, while in some districts holders are already asking fr. 7. 

 As a result of our holding large stocks, we are for the present able 

 to maintain our prices, but if the upward movement should become 

 more pronounced we shall soon be compelled to follow it. 



Birckenstock's 1 ) observations with regard to the differences which 

 exist between spike oils derived from plants of different origin have 

 already been discussed by us on a previous occasion 2 ). 



Spruce Oil. This oil is used in considerable quantities in 

 the United States, principally for liniments and veterinary medicines. 

 It has been distilled in the mountains of Massachusetts, Vermont, and 

 New Hampshire for the past one hundred years or more. This work 

 is done by farmers who have a still in some suitable place on their 

 farms and when other farm work is not pressing, distil oil. This, 

 however, they do only in summer, as none of them put money enough 

 into their outfits so that they could run them in winter. 



For distillation the small trees are cut which grow in the pastures 

 and from them the smallest branches are trimmed. The stills consist 

 of wooden tubs and iron worms and generally do not last more than 

 two or three years. Several years ago oil was so low and farm labour 

 so high that the farmers did not renew their stills when they became 

 defective, and failed to work. At that time also some dealers began 

 to buy up spruce brush to be shipped to the cities for use in ceme- 

 teries, and $ 4.00 was paid per ton, from which quantity about 15 lbs. 

 pf oil can only be obtained. 



In 1906 spruce oil was very scarce and prices went up to 65 cts. per lb. 

 Since that time a large number of farmers have put in new stills and oil 

 was run as fast as possible. The farmers offered their oil freely to 

 dealers and wholesale druggists, which caused a heavy decline in price, 



*) Journ. de la Parfumerie et Savonnerie 21 (1908), 234. 

 2 ) Report October 1906, 73. 



