In 1880, when the price had reached 125s. per lb., it was pointed out by an eminent London firm that unless the cultivation in England were extended, the price would become prohibitive, inferior oils would be introduced into the market, and so destroy the popularity of this beautiful perfume.
The price still rising did, in fact, induce this importation, and to this day the bulk of chemists and perfumers continue to use these foreign oils, notwithstanding the fall in the price of the English oil.
The constant demand, however, in America (where people will have things good) will yet support the price of the genuine article—that is, of the English oil, which is the finest the world produces. Attempts were made by a French manufacturing perfumer to establish a plantation in the south of France of plants taken from parent stems grown in England.
The result was that the young plants deteriorated to their original condition—even there in their native habitat. The character of a plant and the character of its produce depend even on more than a similarity of soil and geographical position. It is asserted that a good judge can distinguish between the oils produced by two adjacent fields, and the difference in odor is very apparent between the oils produced in Hertfordshire and in Surrey. The oil produced in Sussex is different from both.—Chemist and Druggist.
SPECTRUM OF THE SUN AND ELEMENTS.
The Johns Hopkins University Circular, No. 85, issued in February, contains Prof. Rowland's report of progress in spectrum work. The spectra of all known elements, with the exception of a few gaseous ones, or those too rare to be yet obtained, have been photographed in connection with the solar spectrum, from the extreme ultra-violet down to the D line, and eye observations have been made on many to the limit of the solar spectrum. A table of standard wave lengths of the impurities in the carbon poles extending to wave length 2,000 has been constructed to measure wave lengths beyond the limits of the solar spectrum. In addition to this, maps of the spectra of some of the elements have been drawn up on a large scale, ready for publication, and the greater part of the lines in the map of the solar spectrum have been identified. The following rough table of the solar elements has been constructed entirely according to Prof. Rowland's own observations, although, of course, most of them have been given by others:
Elements in the Sun, arranged according to Intensity and the Number of Lines in the Solar Spectrum.
According to intensity. According to number.
Calcium Zirconium Iron (2,000 or more) Magnesium (20 or more)
Iron Molybdenum Nickel Sodium (11)
Hydrogen Lanthanum Titanium Silicon
Sodium Niobium Manganese Strontium
Nickel Palladium Chromium Barium
Magnesium Neodymium Cobalt Aluminum (4)
Cobalt Copper Carbon (200 or more) Cadmium
Silicon Zinc Vanadium Rhodium
Aluminum Cadmium Zirconium Erbium
Titanium Cerium Cerium Zinc
Chromium Glucinum Calcium (75 or more) Copper (2)
Manganese Germanium Scandium Silver (2)
Strontium Rhodium Neodymium Glucinum (2)
Vanadium Silver Lanthanum Germanium
Barium Tin Yttrium Tin
Carbon Lead Niobium Lead (1)
Scandium Erbium Molybdenum Potassium (1)
Yttrium Potassium Palladium