Am.  Jour.  Pharm.  \        Andalusian  Essential  Oils.    .  277 
April,  191S.      }  it 
stills  holding  from  100  to  500  pounds  of  plant.  The  product  of  these 
small  establishments  is  not  so  good  as  that  of  the  steam  distilleries. 
Furthermore,  instead  of  three  fourths  of  a  pound  of  essential  oil 
from  100  pounds  of  plant,  less  than  one  half  pound  is  recovered  in 
these  country  stills. 
Many  of  the  country  producers  are  furnished  with  stills  by  the 
large  essential-oil  dealers  under  an  arrangement  whereby  the  product 
turned  out  by  them  is  to  be  sold,  at  previously  contracted  prices, 
exclusively  to  the  dealer  who  supplied  the  still. 
Spain  Said  to  Lead  World  in  Production. — While  there  are  no 
definite  statistics  available  on  this  subject  Spain  is  said  to  lead  the 
world  in  the  production  of  spike,  rosemary,  thyme,  sage,  penny- 
royal, and  the  finest  quality  of  geranium  rose  oil.  Although  practi- 
cally no  herbs  or  plants  for  the  production  of  essential  oils  are  culti- 
vated, raw  materials  are  readily  obtainable  in  the  mountains,  and 
the  distilleries  are  able  to  operate  all  through  the  year.  The  full 
season  for  sage  is  May  and  June;  for  thyme  and  rosemary,  July 
and  August;  for  fennel,  spike,  and  lavender,  September  and  Octo- 
ber. During  the  winter,  when  the  plants  are  scarcest,  the  large  dis- 
tilleries devote  themselves  to  redistillation. 
In  this  part  of  Spain  the  actual  plant  or  its  leaves  and  not  the 
flowers  are  distilled  in  making  essential  oils.  The  probable  reason 
for  this  is  that  the  air  is  so  charged  with  salt  that  the  perfume  of 
the  flowers  is  destroyed. 
Spanish  essential  oils  are  used  in  the  preparation  of  perfumery, 
soap,  medicine,  spirits,  and  for  the  adulteration  of  other  essential 
oils  and  spirits.  Spike  is  used  to  adulterate  the  much  finer  lavender. 
The  local  juniper  is  employed  in  the  adulteration  of  the  finer  French, 
Belgian,  and  Dutch  juniper.  An  internal-revenue  tax  is  levied  upon 
distilled  anise.  It  is  said  that  oil  of  fennel,  upon  which  there  is  no 
tax,  is  used  to  adulterate  the  anise.  Geranium  rose  oil  is  used  in  the 
adulteration  of  rose  oil. 
Gathering  the  Plants. — Men,  women,  and  children  scour  the 
mountains  to  cut  the  plants  from  which  the  essential  oils  are  made. 
The  plants  are  gathered  into  bunches,  loaded  onto  the  backs  of 
donkeys,  and  brought  directly  to  the  place  selected  for  the  distilla- 
tion. The  lavender  plant  is  too  fragile  to  be  transported  any  great 
distance  and  must  be  distilled  where  it  actually  grows.  Conse- 
quently, if  any  of  the  factories  desire  to  produce  lavender  oil,  they 
must  send  a  portable  still  to  the  scene  of  operations.    In  the  laven- 
