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very animated business. The mild winter in Central Europe has 
prematurely promoted the vegetation of many plants used as raw 
material in our industry, and has increased the danger of ultimate 
injury by subsequent frosts. It is to be hoped that these fears will 
not be realised. 
Almond Oil, pressed from apricot-kernels. On this subject 
it is reported from Marseilles, that the upward movement in Syrian 
apricot -kernels has communicated itself to all other sources of supply. 
It is said that in the whole of Syria at most 200 to 300 bales are 
still to be found. The prices have advanced in consequence from 68 to 
76 francs, and they would be still higher, if the Californian kernels 
had not placed a check upon the rise. We have not yet followed 
the advance with our prices of essential and fatty oils, as we are for 
the greater part covered by contracts at low rates, but in a few months' 
time we may also be compelled to raise our quotations. 
Almond Oil, Germ. Pharm. IV, pressed from sweet 
almonds. The high prices of Bari and Sicilian almonds continue 
to rule, and no change must be expected before next autumn. In 
Puglia the 1902 harvest has given a yield of only 40 000 to 50000 bales 
instead of the 100000 bales anticipated, and they have all been 
bought up by speculators. The same is the case with the last Sicilian 
harvest. As other cheaper qualities do not come under consideration 
for the manufacture of oil, these figures will have to be taken into 
account until the advent of autumn. 
Oil of Amber. Oil of amber does not, strictly speaking, belong 
to the essential oils, as it is obtained as a by-product in the dry 
distillation of amber for the production of succinic acid, and there- 
fore owes its origin to a pyrogenic reaction. The rectified oil, 01. 
succini rectificatum of some Pharmacopoeias, was formerly, and is 
probably still used medicinally on a small scale, chiefly maybe as a 
remedy against toothache, an addition to liniments, etc. It appears 
that this oil is much esteemed in England, as the demand for it from 
that country is fairly brisk. 
As we obtain the crude oil of amber direct from the producer, 
and rectify it ourselves, we are in a position to give an absolute 
guarantee of the purity of our distillate; but it is not quite easy to 
obtain the rectified oil of the brightest possible colour, and special 
measures have to be taken to produce even a distillate of only a 
bright-yellow colour. Very little is known of the physical constants 
of rectified oil of amber, and for this reason we give below a short 
