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.

318 JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY OF COSMETIC CHEMISTS Turkey For a long time Turkey has been a supplier of rose oil, derived from Rosa damascena. However, the quality has usually been inferior to that of the Bulgarian product, probably because of obsolete equipment, faulty distilla- tion techniques, and even adulteration. Recently shipments of Turkish rose oil have appeared on the American market that were of much better quality than other lots seen previously in this country. According to reports from Isparta, center of the Turkish rose oil industry, efforts are now being made to supply the world market with high-grade rose oil, and new distillation and extraction equipment has been ordered from Grasse. For 1956 Turkey expects a rose crop of roughly 4000 metric tons, which would yield about 1000 kilograms of distilled rose oil. United States The principal oils now produced in the United States are turpentine and pine, citrus, peppermint, spearmint, cedarwood, dill herb, sassafras, thuja, hemlock and spruce, wintergreen and sweet birch. Among these the citrus and the mint oils offer the greatest interest their production has increased to such an extent that this country is now independent of foreign supplies, and even exports large quantities. •1. Citrus Oils (Orange, Lemon, Grapefruit, Tangerine and Lime). Until about twenty-five years ago citrus oils came chiefly from Sicily and Calabria, where the fruit was processed primarily for the isolation of the oil from the peel. In the United States citrus oils are now a by-product in large-scale juice canning operation. To survive in a highly competitive field an American cannery must utilize every part of a fruit which by its very nature yields many end products: canned juices (straight, concen- trated, pasteurized and froz'en), pectins, cattle feed, citric acid, molasses, vitamins, essential oils, etc. A modern American cannery represents a marvel of technical ingenuity and efficiency--a tremendous advance over the primitive family and village production units formerly so typical of Sicily. A number of highly efficient types of juice and oil presses have been introduced during the past two or three decades, the most modern being the so-called In-Line Whole Fruit Juice Extractor, developed by the Food Machinery and Chemical Corporation, Florida Division, Lakeland, Florida. This ingeniously constructed machine expresses juice and essen- tial oil simultaneously, without contact between the two, which is of great advantage for the quality of both juice and oil. Being only by-products, the American citrus oils can be offered at prices with which old-fashioned producers abroad can hardly compete. (1) In California citrus growers have been organized by Sunkist Growers (formerly known as California Fruit Growers Exchange), a remarkable