138 
Oil  of  Rosemary. 
I'Am.  Join-.  Pharm. 
t      March,  1890. 
fermentations,  but  it  appears  to  be  a  good  nitrogenous  pabulum  for 
the  organisms. 
(2)  Even  traces  of  hydrochloric  acid  hinder  the  acetic  fermenta- 
tion. The  lactic  fermentation  is  stopped  by  just  so  much  hydro- 
chloric acid  as  is  necessary  to  change  the  phosphates  (which  are 
present  in  the  nutritive  liquid  for  the  proper  growth  of  the  Bacterium 
acidi  lactici)  into  chlorides.  The  fermentation  was  thus  probably 
hindered  by  the  hydrogen  phosphate  thus  liberated. 
(3)  Pepsin  and  hydrochloric  acid  together  act  in  the  same  way 
as  hydrochloric  acid  alone,  only  not  quite  so  powerfully. 
(4)  Hydrochloric  acid  in  the  presence  of  (probably  combined 
with)  peptone,  does  not  hinder  the  fermentations  at  all.  It  is  also 
useless  in  aiding  the  digestion  of  albumen  by  pepsin. 
(5)  The  acetic  acid  fermentation  is  hindered  by  hydrochloric  acid 
when  sufficient  has  been  added  to  liberate  from  0  5  to  07  parts  per 
thousand  of  hydrogen  phosphate  from  the  phosphates  present. 
OIL  OF  ROSEMARY. 
By  E.  M.  Holmes,  F.L.S., 
Curator  of  the  Museum  of  the  Pharmaceutical  Society. 
During  the  present  month  two  samples  of  essential  oils,  obtained 
from  plants  grown  in  Sussex,  have  been  presented  to  the  Museum. 
One  is  the  oil  of  rosemary  and  the  other  that  of  lavender,  both  dis- 
tilled at  Brighton,  from  the  plants  grown  there  by  Mr.  Sawer  (see 
vol.  xv,  p.  125).  With  these  specimens  some  information  is  con- 
tributed concerning  the  details  of  the  preparation  of  the  oil  of 
rosemary,  which  seems  sufficiently  interesting  for  publication. 
Mr.  Sawer  states  that  he  first  experimented  with  plants  raised 
from  seeds,  which  had  been  collected  probably  in  the  south  of 
France,  but  these  yielded  a  rank  oil.  He  then  obtained  cuttings 
from  old  gardens  in  England,  and  found  that  if  planted  in  August, 
they  strike  rapidly,  especially  if  pulled  off  with  a  "  heel "  or  woody 
portion,  and  shaded  from  the  sun.  It  was  found  that  light  loam 
answers  best,  and  that  the  cuttings  succeed  best  in  wooden  boxes. 
Mr.  Sawer  recognizes  two  distinct  forms  of  rosemary,  the  one  having 
a  larger  leaf,  which  is  more  hoary  underneath  than  the  other  ;  both, 
however,  seem  equally  fragrant,  and  he  mixes  them  in  equal  pro- 
portions for  distillation.    Rosemary  is  by  no  means  easy  to  grow 
