60 
Indian Forest Records. 
[Vol. 17. 
very good and suitable for any work of ours and equal 
to home supply. The others (1) and (3) are not so 
good and are only suitable for our rough work. (1) 
is slightly better than (3).” 
I drew the attention of the Foreman to the fact that according 
to his test the oils (2) and (4) should be considered better than the 
home supply and A should be pronounced equal to the <£ very 
superior ” American oil. The sample (3) only could be called 
second class equal to the <£ common ” American turpentine fit for 
their rough work. On this, he humorously remarked that what 
he had written was a good enough certificate. It should, therefore, 
be taken as settled that an oil with 90—95 per cent, passing below 
167° C. when fractionated in an ordinary fractional distillation 
flask at a barometric pressure of ‘27^ is quite suitable for 
any work of the Railway Workshops. Though I was given no 
opportunity to try the actual paint experiments in the shops, nor 
was it considered necessary, yet I am of opinion that for their 
practical purposes an oil even slightly inferior would also answer. 
As pointed out elsewhere in the body of this Note, it is easy 
to produce this quality of the oil in the very first distillation by 
methylated spirits, by regulating the rate of distillation, by skil¬ 
fully “ cutting the still and finally by thoroughly washing the 
crude oil thus obtained with lime water. 
In conclusion I wish to express my gratitude for the kind 
assistance given to me by Rai Sahib Bishan Dass and Mr. Keatinge. 
APPENDIX C. 
The Quality of the Turpentine Oil as required by the Indian 
Ordnance Department. 
The following specification to govern supply and tests of spirits 
of turpentine to the Indian Ordnance Department is given in their 
published specification No. 72, dated 9tli August 1904: — 
“ The liquid should be transparent, clear and colourless, or should 
have almost pale-yellowish colour. It should possess the well- 
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