— 57 — 
The admixture of Japanese oil has frequently brought the Americans 
into trouble, and this dishonest practice has now probably been abandoned. 
Peppermint Oil, Mitcham. Reports from the English peppermint- 
districts are one and all unfavourable. The development of the plants 
has been retarded by the cold and damp weather in July and August, 
and when subsequently the wreath er changed, the plants had already 
been cut, so that a favourable influence was no longer possible. Not 
only has the cultivation been on a reduced scale, but the yield was 
also lower, whilst the plants themselves suffered from mildew\ The 
yield does not amount to more than one-half of that of an average crop. 
In consequence of these unfavourable conditions, and in the absence 
of all stocks of old oil, the prices asked for this year's oil are very 
high. As soon as our own stocks are exhausted we shall be compelled 
to raise our quotations to a corresponding extent. For reliable distillates 
the price asked is 32/- per lb., which would be equal to a price of 
76 marks per kilo for the rectified oil. 
Peppermint Oil, Saxon. The yield from -our own cultivation 
has, like that in England, suffered considerably from cold, damp weather, 
and is about equal to that of half a usual crop. The second cut has 
not taken place at all. The result of the distillation comes to about 
320 kilos, against 580 kilos in 1902. 
The stocks of our own distillate may possibly be exhausted in the 
course of a few^ months, as orders for forward delivery have already 
been booked. 
As a continuation of their work on the influence of the character 
of the external surroundings on the peppermint plant, E. Charabot 
and A. Hebert^) have made observations on the effect of mineral 
salts on the content of volatile acids in the plant. The tests were 
made by ascertaining the proportion of the esterified volatile acids to 
the total quantity of volatile acids. This value is of particular interest 
for the study of the conditions under which the esterification of the 
alcohols takes place. It has now been proved that the mineral salts 
supplied to the soil 2) increase the content of volatile acids in the 
plant; the chlorides and sulphates effect a slight increase of acidity, 
di-sodium phosphate a considerable one, whilst the nitrates appear to 
bring about a decrease of acidity. The content of esterified and free 
acids is approximately the same. The volatile acids are found abo^'e 
all in the leaves. In comparing the results of the above work with 
those mentioned before^), it is seen, that with the salts which effect 
^) Compt. rend. 136 (1903), 1009. Bull. soc. chim. III. 29 (1903), 612, 698. 
Report April 1903, 61. 
^) Report April 1903, 61. 
