Commercial and scientific notes on essential oils. 



17 



Average Prices of the Oils in the months October 1920 to March 1921. 

 Prices in Italian lire per Sicilian pound of 317 grams. 



Year 



Month 



Lemon 

 oil 



Bergamot 

 oil 



Orange 



oil, 

 sweet 



Orange 



oil, 



bitter 



Mandarin 

 oil 



1920 October: 



November: 



2nd to 9 th 



December: 



1921 i January: 



February: 



March : 



Hth 



18th 



25th 



1st 



8th 



15th 



22 nd 



1st 

 6th 



13 th 

 20th 



3^ 

 10th 

 l 7 th 



24th 

 ist" 



7th 

 U th 

 21 st 



1st 



7th 

 14th 



21 st 



16th 



23 rd 

 30th 



6th 

 13th 

 20th 

 30th 



4th 

 11th 

 18th 

 31 st 



8th 

 15th 



22" d 

 31 st 



5th 

 12th 

 19th 



26th 



5th 

 12th 

 19th 

 31 st 



14.50 

 15.75 

 15.40 

 15. - 



95. 

 110. 

 110. 

 108. 



65.— 

 59.— 

 51.— 

 47.— 



46.50 

 48.- 

 45.— 

 43.- 



97.50 



100.— 



95.— 



98.- 



14.70 



105.50 



46.— 



41.50 



100. 



14.25 



100.— 



45.- 



41.— 



110. 



13.75 



100.— 



53.- 



42.— 



135. 



13.— 



100.— 



60.— 



43.— 



135. 



13.— 



97.— 



55.— 



42.— 



120. 



12.50 



95.— 



53.— 



40.— 



115. 



12.— 



92.- 



50.— 



38.- 



110. 



11.40 



87.- 



47.— 



35.- 



100. 



j 11.75 



82.— 



46.— 



35.- 



100. 



11.75 



81.— 



46.— 



34.— 



95. 



11 — 



80 — 



45.— 



32.- 



95. 



10.- 



79:— 



44.— 



31- 



93. 



9.50 



77 — 



43.— 



32.— 



90. 



9.50 



77 — 



43.- 



32.- 



85. 



9.50 



77.- 



43. 



32.- 



85. 



9.25 



75 — 



42.50 



31.- 



83. 



8.50 



73.- 



41.— 



30.- 



80.- 



8.50 



72.— 



40.— 



28.— 



78.- 



8.50 



70.— 



40.— 



28.— 



78. 



8.25 



69.- 



40.— 



28.— 



78.- 



The total exports of oils amounted in the months of: — 



1921. 1920. , 



January ... to kg. 98851 66865 



February ... „ „ 81735 173851 



March .... „ „ 102096 105497 



According to an American patent of F. A. Mc.Dermott 1 ) the oil of the agrumen 

 fruits, especially of oranges and lemons, may be extracted in the following way: — 

 The peels, freed of any flesh adhering, are cut into three or four parts and are dried 

 at a comparatively low temperature, cautiously in the air, in such a way that as much 

 water as possible may escape without any loss of volatile oil. This is possible because 

 the essential oil is retained by the cell membranes, whilst the water can better diffuse 

 through the membranes and then evaporate. The peels are then cut up further; some- 

 times they have again carefully to be dried, before they are submitted to steam- 

 distillation in a vacuum, in a finely-ground condition. Comparative experiments have 



') U. S. P. 1353169. Perfum. Record 12 (1921), 18. 



