56 
Indian Forest Records. 
[Vol. IV. 
North-Western Railway, on tlie direct supply of turpentine oil 
produced at Bhowali to the Indian Railways. In his letter 
No. C. 242, dated 29th November 1909, to the Conservator of Forests, 
Western Circle, Mr. Smythies says that 5,000 gallons of turpentine 
oil were sent to the North-Western Railway in the beginning of the 
year 1909 for trial. The Chief Store-keeper then reported that 
the oil supplied was not of a suitable quality as it left a greasy 
residue which would not readily evaporate. As already pointed 
out by me this defect is due to the presence of the high boiling 
constituents in the oil and the more complete the elimination 
of these constituents, the better is the quality of the oil. 
Mr. Smythies somewhat improved the quality of the oil, by 
rejecting in the process of partial redistillation the portions of 
oil having a higher specific gravity than 0’867. He thus got an 
oil which met with the acceptance of Messrs Turner, Morrison & 
Co., of Calcutta, who purchased wholesale the total output of the 
year 1910. It was this sample that Mr. Smythies sent again to 
the Chief Store-keeper, North-Western Railway, for trial in Janu¬ 
ary 1910. This sample also was rejected by the Chief Store-keeper 
on the same grounds. 
On a reference from Mr. Smythies, I took up the question again 
and eliminated from the oil the fractions which left a greasy 
residue. This sample prepared by me in the Laboratory by redis¬ 
tilling the crude oil to the extent of 80 per cent, was sent by 
Mr. Smythies to the Chief Store-keeper, North-Western Railway, 
and it was reported upon by him as follows: — 
“ The sample sent by you is suitable for our work. I have 
made arrangements to procure our requirements of 
turpentine for this year from England, but if you will 
intimate your outturn and state your prices I may be 
able to enter into an agreement wuth you for supply 
during 1911, provided, of course, that you guarantee 
uniform quality according to sample now reported 
on. 
The sample thus approved of was a highly refined oil which 
almost all distilled below 167° C. To avoid the heavy loss of 20 
per cent, of oil in the preparation of this special grade a new 
process of distillation at a much lower temperature was adopted 
[ 56 ] 
