276 
Andalusian  Essential  Oils. 
Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
April,  19 1 8. 
bacteria,  and  also  obtained  pure  cultures  of  several  of  the  beneficent 
species,  obtaining  exact  measurements  of  their  indoxyl-producing 
powers.   They  exhibit  considerable  variation. 
The  introduction  and  propagation  of  friendly  species  can  be 
effected  in  several  ways.  The  steeping  vats  can  be  inoculated  with 
pure  cultures,  or  the  multiplication  of  the  beneficial  organisms 
already  present  can  be  fostered  by  the  provision  of  conditions 
favorable  to  their  growth.  Mr.  Hutchinson  believes  that  a  combina- 
tion of  these  two  methods  will  prove  the  most  satisfactory.  At  the 
same  time  the  bacteria  must  be  given  fuller  scope  for  their  action. 
Being  restricted  to  the  walls  and  floor  of  the  vat,  their  area  of 
operations  is  limited,  and  if  the  vats  are  too  large  their  productive 
powers  fail  to  act  on  the  more  remote  portions  of  the  indican  solu- 
tion. It  therefore  appears  desirable  to  adapt  the  vats  so  as  to  in- 
crease the  ratio  of  wall  surface  to  cubic  contents.  What  the  most 
efficient  ratio  is  has  still  to  be  determined,  but  this  is  mainly  a  matter 
of  experiment.  It  will  certainly  vary  from  factory  to  factory  until 
the  bacterial  conditions  are  uniform.  Again,  the  character  of  the 
wall  surface  is  a  factor  of  importance.  A  smooth  cement  wall  is 
probably  not  the  ideal  surface,  in  which  case  a  substitute  has  to  be 
found.  This  also  should  soon  be  revealed  by  experiment.  Once  dis- 
covered, the  practical  benefits  would  be  considerable,  and  quickly 
repay  the  producers  for  the  necessary  alterations. 
ANDALUSIAN  ESSENTIAL  OILS.1 
By  Louis  G.  Dreyfus,  Jr.,  Consul,  Malaga,  Spain. 
The  essential-oil  industry  is  said  to  have  been  established  in 
Malaga  about  twenty  years  ago.  At  first  the  production  was  on  a 
small  scale,  but  it  has  steadily  increased ;  especially  so  since  the  out- 
break of  the  European  war,  when  the  German  production  of  cheaper 
extracts  and  essences  was  shut  off. 
There  are  two  modern  steam  distilleries  at  Malaga,  with  experi- 
enced chemists  in  charge  of  the  works ;  one  of  these  is  a  German 
firm  and  the  other  is  Belgian.  Another  steam  distillery  is  located 
at  Jaen.  There  are  also  hundreds  of  small  producers  scattered 
throughout  Malaga,  Jaen,  and  Granada  Provinces,  with  direct-fire 
1  From  Commerce  Reports. 
