Scientific and other notes on essential oils. 27 



covered with water. In spite of this unceasing moisture the quality of the oil had 

 not been affected. Lavandula delphinensis produced an oil containing 48.02 per cent, 

 linalyl acetate (d i5 o 0.89004), and L. fragrans an oil with 47.53 per cent, linalyl acetate 

 (di5o 0.88606). 



The Dutch Pharmacopoeia prescribes for the production of spirit of lavender to 

 macerate lavender blossoms with alcohol and to distil the latter after 24 hours. According 

 to the German Pharmacopoeia, 5 th ed., lavender blossoms are mixed with alcohol and 

 left in a closed vessel which is repeatedly shaken during 24 hours, after which process 

 4 parts are distilled off from the mixture. Both prescriptions refer of course to the use 

 of dry blossoms. According to P. van der Wielen 1 ), one obtains the best preparation 

 by distilling fresh blossoms with spirits of wine; one can calculate on the average 

 that 100 g. of fresh blossoms correspond to 25 g. of dry ones. 



The genus Phoma belonging to the class of the Sphasropsidales or Pycnide fungi 

 includes more than 1100 species which have been observed on all possible nutritive 

 plants. A whole number of species produce plant diseases, among them Phoma 

 lavandulce, Gabotto. This species had not been found hitherto in England, but according 

 to W. B. Brierley 2 ) it became rather pernicious there in the summer of 1916. The 

 author had observed two lavender beds on which nearly all the plants died. The 

 twigs affected by the disease had a dry appearance and acquired a dirty brownish-grey 

 colour; the epidermis broke up into little silver-grey scales. The leaves retained their 

 normal appearance for some time, then faded pretty fast, became brown and shrivelled 

 up. The parts of the plants, situated above the dry, discoloured spots, decayed. The 

 disease spreads quickly and frequently produces great damage. On examining a dead 

 twig, it appeared that the shrivelled-up part under the scaling- off epidermis was 

 interspersed with little black dots, the pycnides of the fungus mentioned above. In 

 order to prevent the spread of the disease, all infected twigs must be removed, if possible 

 even before the pycnides have been formed. 



Lemongrass Oil. There are two kinds of lemongrass oil, the easily soluble East 

 Indian from Cymbopogon fiexuosus, Stapf, and the sparingly soluble, so-called West 

 Indian, from C. citratus, Stapf. S. C. Hood 3 ), in a noteworthy treatise on the possi- 

 bility of producing lemongrass oil in the U. S., leaves the question undecided whether 

 there really are two species, but supposes that there are numerous local varieties. 

 The Bureau of Plant Industry of the U. S. made experiments of cultivation with 

 13 varieties from eight different places of origin. The best results were obtained on 

 well-drained, sandy clay, but the plant likewise grows well on light sandy soil, as is 

 to be found in the high pine districts of Florida. The results were also good on the 

 freshly prepared sandy soil of pine woods, without any addition of lime. Badly drained 

 soil and soil with rocks at the bottom at a depth of about 3 feet ought not to be 

 planted with lemongrass. No experiments have been made on heavy clayey soil, but 

 it is to be presumed that it is not appropriate for growing lemongrass. 



The lemongrass plant requires subtropical climate. Where the temperature never 

 drops below — 4°, one may plant lemongrass without any fear, for it stands an even 

 somewhat lower temperature. 



*) Pharm. WeeJcblad 53 (1916), 872. — 2 ) Keiv Bull. 1916, 113; Pharmaceutical Journ. 97 (1916), 85. 

 3 ) Bureau of Plant Industry, U. S. Dep. of Agriculture, Bull. 442; Americ. Journ. Pharm. 89 (1917), 180. 



