(^386) THE CHEMISTKY OF ESSENTIAL OILS
Specific
Gravity.
•9351
•9441
Phenol-conteiit
per Cent.
50-9
550
Season.
Average 1914-1916
1917
This improvement in the quality of the oil cannot be accounted for,,
as the methods of distillation were strictly comparable with those followed
in the previous year.
As indicating the characters of the various fractions, and showing
how different the quality of the oil may be according to the time accu-
pied in the distillation, 150 Ib. of fresh leaves were distilled and the
fractions coming over during each of nine hours examined. The results
were as follows :—
Oil Obtained inc.c.
1st hour.. 519
2nd ,,
3rd ,
4th ,
5th ,
6th ,
7*th ,
9th ,
126
98
96
69
58
53
38
Phenol-content.
1st hour
2nd „
3rd ,
4th
5th ,
6th ,
7£th ,
9th ,
I Specific Gravity.
23
78
89
93
95
96
99
96
1st hour
2nd ,
3rd ,
4th ,
5th ,
6th ,
7Jth ,
9th ,
. 0-8669
. 0-9241
. 1-0259
. 1-0381
. 1-0409
. 1-0432
. 1-0434
. 1-0436
According to Fishlock l there exists, in addition to the recognised
type of Pimenta acris, which produces the bay oil of commerce, in
various parts of the West Indies a variety closely similar in appearance,,
but yielding an oil of strong lemon scent and of little commercial value
In Porto Eico this is known as " lemoncillo". This lemon-scented
variety is common in Dominica and St. Lucia. In Tortola it is the
kind commonly met with, the true type being rare, whereas this con-
dition is reversed in St. Jan. In Montserrat it is reported to be absent.
Fishlock examined the experimental tree plot at the Government
Station at Tortola and reported thereon as follows :—
" The trees in the plot were planted in November, 1914, by Mr. C. A.
Gomes; they had been raised from seed carefully hand-picked from-
a single tree having excellent characters growing in the station. This,
tree came from St. Jan in 1902 with some others, and was planted by
me at the station. Only two of the trees then planted have survived;
one is a tree having good characters and undoubtedly of the true variety;
the other is unmistakably of the false or lemoncillo type. The latter
tree flowers earlier than the true variety, and, consequently, I do not
think there has been cross fertilisation.
" Upon careful examination of the plants in the plot referred to we
found that, of sixty-two living plants, twenty-two, or 35 5 per cent.r
were of the false or lemoncillo type. This appears to indicate that the
original plant, the one planted in 1902, is a hybrid, and that its progeny
are splitting up into two distinct types—roughly, 65 per cent, coming
rue and 35 per cent, reverting to the lemoncillo type.
" These observations may help to throw some light upon a subject
which has already received some amount of attention. It is, of courser
' P. and E.O.R. (1916), 803.