72 Report of Schimmel § Co. April/October 1917. 



Every 2 or 3 years a good seed-year occurs which is of importance for the 

 propagation of the species. Under normal conditions, Pinus longifolia does not bear 

 any fir cones before reaching its 30 th year; trees are by no means a rarity which have 

 attained even their 40 th year without bearing fruit. Trees planted on an experimental 

 field at Dehra Dun only began to bear fruit at 30 years of age. On an average, the 

 trees reached a height of 79 feet with a circumference of 3 feet 3 inches. Germination 

 tests proved that 81 to 93 per cent, of the seeds were capable of germination. For 

 old, over-ripe trees this capacity only amounted to 35 to 60 per cent. 284 cones gave 

 an average seed-content of 51 seeds; the real number varied from 31 to 105 seeds 

 per cone. The seedlings attain a height of 6 feet at 3 years of age, after 10 years 

 they are about 5 feet high. 



Pinus longifolia demands a great deal of light. In spite of this, however, the 

 seedlings require a certain amount of shade, especially when they are quite young. 



Under the condition that the forests are protected from conflagrations and from 

 grazing animals, their continued existance in the case of their being utilized for 

 industrial purposes depends on the possibility of their propagation by seeds. In 

 some districts, however, the mortality amongst the seedlings is very great indeed, 

 especially on southern slopes. 



Porcupines and certain species of birds also cause much damage. Amongst 

 beetles, the wood-borers, Ips longifolia, Polygraphus longifolia, Platypus biformis and 

 the weevil Cryptorrhynchus Brandisi are particularly dangerous. Besides these, a 

 creeper, Rosa moschata, is harmful. The fungi, Peridermium complanatum, Hysterium 

 Pinastri, and Tramentes Pini, frequently attack the tree ; and Loranthus longiflorus is a 

 regular parasite of this kind. 



The tapping is performed according to the methods in use in France. 



The Italian stone-pine, Pinus Pinea, L. 1 ) is to be found along all the coasts of the 

 Mediterranean and on neighbouring hills, in North Africa, on Madeira and the Canary 

 Isles, in Portugal, in Spain, up to a height of about 1000 m., further in Western Italy, 

 forming there, for instance, the celebrated pine wood near Ravenna; in Illyria, Dalmatia, 

 the Peloponnesus, in Crete, in Bithynia, Macedonia, and Asia Minor; it is further much 

 cultivated 2 ) in other countries having a climate resembling that of those mentioned 

 above. As turpentine is obtained in Tuscany as well from Pinus Pinaster, Sol. (black 

 pine) as from Pinus Pinea, without, however, distilling both kinds separately, and as 

 both oils have very different properties, F. C. Palazzo 3 ) produced from turpentine of 

 Pinus Pinea which had been collected under his own personal supervision the volatile 

 oil by the help of distillation with steam under a pressure of 2 l /<* to 3 atmospheres. 

 The constants of the oil were the following: di 5 o 0.8473 to 0.8507; « D — 93.80 to 97.30°; 

 "d2oo 1.4731 to 1.4737; soluble in about 5 vols, of 90 per cent, alcohol; 85 to 90 per cent, 

 of the oil boiled between 174 and 180° and consisted of laevo-limonene (boiling point 

 175 to 176°; d 20 o 0.8432; « D20 o — 120.36°; n D20O ^.4720). 



The production of turpentine in Tuscany is not of great importance. The production 

 of the oil described above is recommended because, owing to its limonene content 

 which is utilizable for various technical purposes, it is said to be more valuable than 

 ordinary oil of turpentine. 



*) This pine (Pinus Pinea, L.) is mistaken in some books and by the general public for the sea-pine 

 (Pinus Pinaster, Sol.); the same seems to be the case in Italy, which is probably the reason why both kinds 

 are distilled together. — 2 ) L. Beissner, Handbuch der Nadelholzkunde, 2. ed., Berlin 1909, p. 423. — s ) Annali 

 Chim. appl. 6 (1916), 135; Journ. Soc. chem, Industry 35 (1916), J 122, 



