The percentage of acids is over 90, a rare occurrence with 

 essential oils. 



Neroli Oil. As was to be expected from the extraordinarily 

 cold spring weather, the beginning of the distilling season was delayed 

 until the middle of May and the fear expressed in our last Report, 

 that no particularly prolific crop was to be expected, has unfortunately 

 proved to be well-founded. In any case, however, the result was 

 better than 1 908, and there should have been no reason for asking 

 higher prices for the flowers than were paid the year before. But 

 the Societe cooperative des Producteurs, etc. at first fixed the price 

 of the flowers for the distillers at 1.50 fr. and only reduced this price 

 to 1.40 fr. if 15,000 kilos and 1.35 fr. if 50.000 kilos were taken. 

 As might be expected, the distillers are indignant at this proceeding, 

 and they intend next year to take steps to liberate themselves from 

 the arbitrary influence of the Societe. It remains to be seen which 

 party will emerge victoriously from this quarrel; but we should like 

 to point out to the Societe that such excessive demands are hardly 

 likely to redound to the advantage of its members, but will probably 

 at the end spell harm to them. 



Thanks to our exquisite artificial neroli oil, which may be regarded 

 as in every respect a complete substitute for the genuine article, and 

 of which the sale consequently has increased in an extraordinary 

 manner, a boycott of the Societe by the manufacturers would not at 

 all be impossible. Owing to the favourable yield of oil the prices 

 of neroli oil have remained more or less at the level of last year, 

 and we have consequently been able to make a corresponding reduction 

 in our quotations. For the moment business is quiet, and it does 

 not appear as if any changes in the market position were in prospect. 



Nutmeg Oil remains unchanged at low prices. There has been 

 no lack of cheap nutmegs suitable for distilling, and occasionally 

 exquisite material could be found at ridiculously low prices. All those 

 interested in the article are advised, when requiring large parcels, to 

 ask us for special quotations. 



In order to clear up to some extent the confusion which appears 

 to prevail in commerce as to the derivation of nutmegs, E. M. Holmes x ) 

 describes the more important species, among which he mentions the 

 following — : 



Mv ris tica fragrans }Hou\X., Banda, or genuine nutmeg. These nutmegs 

 are roundish-ovate, occasionally long nutmegs of a variety of the official 

 species are found mixed with them. We have already previously referred 

 to the constitution of the oil of this species. 2 ) 



*) Pharmaceutical Journal 82 (1909), 419 and 459. 

 2 ) Report April 1908, 76. 



