SCIENTIFIC AND OTHER NOTES ON ESSENTIAL OILS. 9 
brownish-black mass. This was agitated with dilute sulphuric acid and distilled with 
steam; the oil obtained in this process was dissolved in ether and treated with alkali 
- in order to eliminate the phenols. After removal of the ether by distillation, the oil 
was fractionated over sodium im vacuo, in which process a part of the composition 
CisHe, and the b. p. 138 to 140° (31 mm.) distilled over; deoo 0.9379; %p) —2.06°; 
Npywo 1.51009; mol. refr. 65.06, calculated for Ci;H2, 64.65. We seem to have to deal 
with a tricyclic sesquiterpene. The rotation being low, the authors seem to be 
inclined to think that the oil may have become partly inverted by the treatment with 
Grignard’s reagent. When oxidizing a part of the oil of b.p.160 to 170° (containing 11.2 p.c. 
.of methoxyl) with permanganate of potash, asarylaldehyde (m. p. 114°) was obtained, 
from which the presence of asarone may be assumed, which had been established at 
an earlier date in calamus oil by Thoms and Beckstroem’). 
Camphor Oil. On account of the low prices ruling in 1914 owing to the cheap 
sales of Japanese camphor in Europe and America, business showed no profit to the 
Chinese producers”); consequently but little crude camphor was brought to the Chinese 
markets and the turnover remained within narrow limits. From Shanghai 1659 piculs, 
worth 132535 H.T., were exported in 1914, as against 1539 piculs of a value of 
115887 H. T. in 1913. 
The camphor tree (Cinnamomum Camphora) has been successfully planted in Burma, 
Ceylon and the Federated Malay States*). In Burma there are plantations in the upper 
Chindwin, Myitkyina, Bhamo and in the southern Shan States. There are experimental 
plantations in the Nilghiri Hills and in certain isolated patches of the Bombay and 
Madras presidencies. In Ceylon the tree grows only in the more elevated districts, 
one plantation being located in Hakgalla. It has always been found exceedingly difficult 
to procure good seeds imported direct from Japan. The seeds sown for the Burma 
plantations were obtained from Hongkong. 
On repeated occasions we mentioned in our Reports the cultivation of camphor 
trees in northern America*). It now appears from a communication published by the 
Dept. of Agriculture) in Washington that a syndicate of manufacturers of nitrocellulose 
products has about 500 acres under cultivation in Satsuma Heights (Florida) and has 
already obtained 10000 Ibs. of crude camphor therefrom. Although the yield does not 
come up to expectations, it is hoped that this branch of industry may be further 
developed in a satisfactory manner. Three more companies are also working on the 
same lines, two in Florida and one in Texas. 
Caraway Oil. According to the report of the Dutch Ministry of Agriculture of 
the middle of July, 3858 hectares were under caraway this year (about 9500 acres). 
This means a very considerable decline in cultivation as compared with the two years 
immediately preceding, for in 1914 5285 hectares, and in 1913 even 5527 hectares had 
been planted with caraway. It follows that one had to reckon with a considerable 
shortage of this year’s crop from the very start. Into the bargain, immediately before 
1) Comp. Report October 1901, 10; April 1903, 14. — 2) Chem. Ztg. 39 (1915), 711. — 3) Journ. Soe. 
Chem. Industry 23 (1914), 1226; Comp. Gildemeister and Hoffmann, Die dtherischen Ole, 2"4 ed., vol. II, p. 472. 
— *) Comp. Report October 1906, 19; April 1907, 20; October 1907, 26; October 1908, 34; April 1909, 23; 
October 1911, 26. — 5) Zeitschr. f. angew. Chem. 28 (1915), Ill. 478. 
