316 JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY OF COSMETIC CHEMISTS interior of a country that was still at a pioneer stage of development. Today the visitor to the environs of Khemisset, Tiflet, Tedders and Rabat-- all in northern Morocco--cannot help but be amazed at the extent of these beautiful flower fields which seem to stretch beyond the horizon, and at the modern extraction plants and administration buildings, all constructed in Moorish style and located in the center of the plantations. The rose was introduced to this area from Southern France hence it is the Rosa rentifolia, identical with that cultivated in the Grasse region. On the north Moroccan plantations about 700 to 800 metric tons of roses will be harvested in 1956, with an increase in sight for the coming years. (For details see below.) Including the rose crop of the Dad,s Valley, the total production of rose flowers in Morocco for 1956 will be roughly 2000 metric tons, a quantity far too large to be converted exclusively into concrete. (It amounts to about three times the entire rose crop in the Grasse region.) In 1955 the two above-mentioned factories in the Dad,s, and the factories in the north of Morocco, produced together 1800 to 2000 kilograms of rose concrete, the quantities being about equally divided among the three pro- ducers. Therefore, it is planned for 1956 to convert a good part of the Moroccan rose harvest into distilled rose oil. So much for the rose. Aside from Rosa centifolia, the producers of north Morocco also cultivate and process other flowers on extensive plantations laid out within the past ten years, and some of which have by no means reached full productivity. At the present time their remarkable agricultural organization includes: Khemisset: 625 acres planted with jasmine, tuberose, rose, cassie, geranium, estragon and jonquil. Tiflet: 875 acres planted with geranium and Eucalyptus citriodora. Rabat: 125 acres planted with jasmine. Port-Lyautey: 50 acres planted with the sour (bitter) orange tree. Tedders: 500 acres planted with rose, and 5 acres with tuberose.. Maazir: 275 acres planted with rose. Oulmes: A number of acres being developed for the planting of rose. Menerlaz: About 250 acres planted with rose. To obtain an idea of the importance of essential oil and flower oil produc- tion from these fields one must bear in mind that one acre of jasmine may yield 4500 pounds of blossoms annually, one acre of roses more than 2600 pounds of flowers, and one acre of geranium about 18 pounds of oil. Aside from these plantations the Chauvet organization includes the fol- lowing factories: Khemisset--a plant equipped for hydrodistillation and volatile solvent extraction. Tiflet--a distillery with stills of 20,000 liters capacity each. Tedders--a distillery with stills of new design. Rabat--a volatile solvent extraction plant.

RECENT DEVELOPMENTS IN ESSENTIAL OILS 317 A pilot factory is planned for the distillation of roses, and another one for peppermint. The essential and floral oils produced by this organization have been of excellent quality. The odor of the rose concrete closely resembles that of the Grasse product the Moroccan jasmine has a somewhat heavier note than the French or Italian its rosy character renders the Moroccan oil of geranium unequaled. What is the outlook for the future of this well-planned venture, in the light of the present political troubles shaking Morocco? The position of the French settlers in Morocco appears to be endangered, despite all their contributions to the progress Morocco has made in the past fifty years-- the "Pax romana" (peace among the warring tribes), sanitation, hygiene, elimination of disease and famine, a network of excellent roads, vast irriga- tion projects, highly intensified agriculture, etc. One result of these civiliz- ing measures has been the increase of Morocco's native population from about 31/•. millions in 1914 to more than 8 millions in 1951, which, of course, immensely complicates the problems of the French administration. No one , can predict what the future will bring. It would seem to be in the fullest interest of Morocco not to disturb an agricultural and technical enterprise that provides work for its population and brings good revenue to the coun- try. But if the demand for independence should degenerate into racial hatred, into a sort of holy war against the white man, into chaos, pilferage and massacre, then the future will be dark indeed. It would be tragic if this well-planned enterprise, unique of its kind, were permitted to fall into decay. The ruins of once prosperous Roman towns, destroyed more than 1000 years ago by the invading Arabs, and now half buried in the sand of North Africa, should be a warning to extreme Moroccan nationalists. Spain The well-known Spanish essential oils (rosemary, spike lavender, thyme, origanum, marjoram, rue, etc.) continue to be produced in substantial quantities--and at relatively low prices. New is the establishment of planations of true peppermint (Mentha piperira L.) in the provinces of Le6n, Navarre and Andalusia. The planting material was introduced partly from England (Mitcham type), partly from northern Italy (Italo-Mitcham type). Results have so far been promising, and a yearly production of 7000 kilograms can be expected for 1956, with a substantial expansion in sight for the following years. Another mint cultivated at the present time in Spain is spearmint (Mentha spicata Huds.), the var. crispata being pre- ferred over var. tenuis. •'he Japanese type of mint (Mentha arvensis L. var. piperascens) also seems to grow well in Spain, and plantations are, being enlarged.