— 42 — 
like those of a number of others^) by the above-named botanist, on 
Eucalyptus pulveriilenta Sims., Eucalyptus Stuartiana F. v. M., and 
Eucalyptus Gunnii Hook, fil., have such an exclusively botanical 
interest, that we may confine ourselves to referring to these publications. 
Fennel Oil. The fennel harvest in this neighbourhood has given 
a normal yield. The thrashing of the small-grained so-called straw- 
fennel generally takes place after the first night-frosts. It is stated 
that a larger quantity has been planted out this year than previously. 
In Galicia, the result has remained far behind the expectations, and 
the prices asked for this year's seed, as well as for all fennel products, 
are about 30 per cent higher. The local manufacturers have again 
formed a ring, with prices fixed by agreement. 
No reliable reports have as yet been received on the result of the 
fennel harvest in Roumania. 
Tardy has examined fennel oils of different origin. On a pre- 
vious occasion^) we have already referred to an examination made in 
1897^) which is now republished in his "These pour I'obtention du 
diplome de Docteur de I'Universite de Paris". In this treatise Tardy 
endeavours to refute a criticism of his work by Gildemeister and 
Hoffmann^), in which it was stated that the detection of cymene in 
an oil treated with dry hydrochloric acid gas, does not prove that this 
hydrocarbon has also been present in the original oil. 
The arguments again brought forward in favour of the presence of 
cymene in fennel oil, cannot as yet be considered conclusive; the 
conversion of cymene into p-oxyisopropyl benzoic acid and isopropenyl 
benzoic acid^), which is easy to accomplish, would have removed all 
doubt. 
Fennel oil, Algerian. The oil examined by Tardy^) had the 
constants d^^ 0,991; = -j- 62° 1 6'. The composition of this oil 
is essentially the same as that of French fennel oil '^j. Detected were: 
pinene, phellandrene, (here the author obtained the nitrite of the 
melting point 102°, contrary to what is the case with French oil), 
fenchone, meth} 1 chavicol, anethol, a sesquiterpene, and a small quan- 
tity of a body C^o^1402j which is probably thymohydroquinone. It 
melts at 138 to 140°, dissolves readily in hot potash liquor, and 
1) Proc. Linn. Soc. of N. S. W. 1901, part. IV. 
Report October 1897, 27. 
3) Bull. Soc. chim. Ill, 17 (1897), 660. ' 
^) Gildemeister and Hoffmann, The volatile oils, p. 566. 
^) Wallach, Liebigs Annalen 264 (1891), 10. 
^) loc. cit. p. 23. 
^) do. p. 15. — Bull. Soc. chim. Ill, 17 (1897), 660. 
