JuLV I, 1893.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
ESSENTIAL OILS. 
The Semi-Annual Keport of Mesere. Schimmel 
& Co. (PritzBohe Brothers) of Leipzig & New York, 
daled April 1893,afiord3 us some interesting par- 
ticulars respectiDg different products and industries 
in which we are more or less interested. Germany 
evidently exports a large quantity of Essential Oils, 
the value increasing from $222,470 in 1891 to 
$232,243 in 1892, in spite of the MoKinley Tariff. 
In the introductory statement much satisfaction 
is expressed at the election of President Cleveland 
and we have the following paragraph about the 
Chicago Exhibition : — 
It is to be expeoied that the colossal oouflaence of 
people which will take place on the occasion of the 
"World's Columbiiin Exposition," and the gigantic con- 
sumption of all articles of necessity and luxury that will 
result from this gathering, will react favourably upon 
German exports to the States, always presupposing 
that no oholera-epidemic comes to blast all reasonable 
hopes with a single stroke ! But on account of this 
poBsibility the immediate future is regarded not 
without anxiety. The " Exposition" itself will doubt- 
less throw into the shade all previous perfor- 
mances of this character. Its fioanoial aspect, 
however, is calculated to raise serious misgivings, 
which already throw a shadow before. It is not 
astonishing that all imaginable sources should be 
tapped to assist in defraying the enormous expenses. 
But that even the available space tor exhibits should 
be hawked out on the competitive plan among ex- 
hibitors, and that, in addition to this, the admission 
of exhibits should be hampered by all sorts of in- 
trigues, are practices unworthy of so serious an un- 
dertaking, and which were nnknown at previous exhi- 
bitions, tbftt of Philadelphia included. 
The following is of interest as showing the soope 
of the work of the firm : — 
The building of our factory at Miltitz near Leipzig, 
(to be used for the distillation of roses and o'.her 
plants cultivated in the fields of that neighbourhood), 
which was began last autumn, is now so far advanced 
that we can commence operations at the time of the 
flowering of the roses. In the following pages we 
refer^to the specialities of this establishment. The 
experimental laboratory for the manufacture of per- 
fumery and soaps, established by us last year, has 
falfilled its objaots thoroughly. It has been shown 
that by inauguiating it we have supplied a real want. 
Our scientific laboratory has been able to take a 
still more active share than previously in the results 
chronicled in the ioUowing pages. The strain upon 
all its available atrecgth caused by the demands of 
current business was eo great, that special arrauge- 
saents became necessary to render the more expe- 
ditious publication of the available material possible 
for the future. We continue to look upon the careful 
study of the composition of the most important 
essential oils of commerce as our chief duty, for 11 
is only by this means that it is possible to obtain 
detinite results in the estimation ef quality, in other 
words, the detection of adulteration. The pages of 
our Report show that considerable results have been 
obtained, and that there is a justifiable expectation 
of lurther success in the near future. Self-evident 
practical considerations have caused us to direct 
oar attention in the first place to those important 
essential oils which offer sophisticators the widest 
and most remunerative field for their operations. It 
is to be hoped that after the lapse of a few years 
a similar reform will have taken place in the qualities 
of all leading essential oils as has been etlected in 
Chinese Cassia Oil, which, by prompt and thoroughly 
(«UT>n«iDg aotioD, ^a^^ ugaiu lestored to an 
3 
honourable position, and which now, all the world over, 
is judged and dealt in upon the basis of our 
quahty-test. 
l^'rom the references to the long list of Oils pre- 
pared, we quote a few paragraphs : — 
Almond Oil as an addition to Coconut Oil. — 
Three pafta of Coconut Oil and one part of iweet 
Almond Oil, saponified with a soda-lye of 38° B., 
produced an excellent Almond-coconut soap lathering 
smoothly, and acting very pleasantly upon the skin. 
In washing, the soap shows tlie characteristics of • 
good fat soap, viz., smoothness and slight frothineis. 
Betbl Oil. — This distilled oil, on the composition 
of which we reported in detail, from the results of 
our own investigations, in previona Reports, has un- 
fortunately not yet excited any practical interest and 
continues to preserve the character of a curiosity. We 
have a few pounds of it in stock. 
Cassia Oil. — The statements made by us in onr 
last Report (October 1892) conoerning the origin of 
Cassia Oil have been repeatedly confirmed in the 
meantime. In the very interesting pamphlet :— "Keport 
on a journey to Kwang-8i " by H. Sohroster, Hong- 
Kong 1887, the writer from personal experience re- 
ports as follows upon manufacture of Cassia Oil : — 
" The shrubs destined for the production of the 
Cassia lignea proper are partly stripped during the 
summer months of their minor branches and excep< 
tionally juicy leavtS. They are then conveyed in huge 
bundles into the valley, where they are boiled in large 
vessels. From the aromatic juice thus obtained the 
esteemed Cassia Oil is recovered by means of a most 
primitive distilling-apparatus. (See illustration at the 
end of Report.) As the Li-kia stations on the road 
to Canton levy an excessive duty upon theoil, in ad- 
dition to that exacted by the Imperal Customs, the 
oil is carried in tins across the hills to Pakhoi and 
thence transported, via Macao, to Hong-Kong, instead 
of reaching Canton by the water-way intended, by 
Nature, tor its conveyance."* 
The centre of the Oassia-prodaction is described aa 
consisting of the Tai-Wo and Yung-Shun districts in 
the province of Kwang-Si and the prefecture of Lo 
Ting in the province of Kwang-Tung. 
In the illustration joined to this Report, (a redaction 
of . the original kindly presented to us by Mesirs. 
Melchers & Co. of Hong-Kong,) which gives a faith-* 
fnl representation of the apparatus and utensils em-> 
ployed in the distillation of Cassia Oil, only the leaves of 
the Oassia-shrub nre figured, The accompanying note 
in Chinese evidently refers to these. Unfortunately 
we have not been successful in obtaining a translation 
of thu text before the publication of this Report, aa 
the Imperial Chinese Embassy in Berlia has only eon- 
desoended to answer our application for assistance in 
this matter after a delay of several weeks. 
After these explanations the solution of the ques» 
tion as to the origin and preparation of Cassia Oil 
may be regarded as accomplished. The questions 
concerning the quality of the article are unfortunately 
not yet quite so clear. As we stated in our last 
Report, we had already at that time received infor- 
mation from China that oils of such a very low alde- 
hydepercentage as 45 to 55 had again appeared upon 
the market. These oils are stated to be of thin uon- 
sisteucy, pale in colour, and are declared to be per- 
fectly pure by the Chinese. The latter maintain that 
fresh, imperfectly ripe raw material always yields such 
an oil, and as a matter of fact several months went 
by before normal Cassia Oil again appeared upon the 
market. Of course it was a matter of the highest 
importance to us to become acquainted with thesi^ 
oils of low value. "We examined four paroela o( i^em 
with the following result : — 
Brand 
YEO TACK, Cinnamic aldehyde 61 « « rt, or 1-066 
HINGLOITING „ „ 44^^ ^'^ l-O^* 
HiNGTAi \. \ It ;; \S. 
HiNGT Ai „ 43 ;: :; 1.065. 
* These statements quite agree with th osa pub. 
lished ns far back aa Igsg iu ths "Jownal ol th« Linnea^ 
Society." 
