The freshly-drawn oleo-resin is a hccey-like, transparent, straw-coloured to greenish body, slowly thickening and darkening by keeping, but always retaining its transparency, and never crystallizing. Ite odour ie pleasant and aromatic ; its flavour, bitterish and feebly acrid, but not objectionable ; its sp. gr., about 0.998 at 14 (58° F.). It forms a perfeot aolution of acid reaction with chloroform, benzol, ether, and warm amylie alcohol ; the mixture with carbon bisulphide is turbid ; it dissolves partially in glacial acetic acid, acetone, and absolute alcohol, leaviug, after boiling and cooling, a considerable amorphous residue. Thia latter character distin guishes it from rosin and Venice turpentine, which are compktely dissolved by these menstrua, and even by spirit of wine containing 70-75 per cent. of alcohol. Its composition varies greatly within certain limits, but may be approximately stated as 24 per cent. of essential oil, 60 of resin eoluble in boiling alcohol, and 16 of resin soluble in etber. Its medicinal properties resemble those eopaiba, but it is now almost obsolete in pharmacy. Its physical qualities render it valuable for mounting microscopic objects, and it is used for making varnish. It is obtained chiefly in Lower Canada, and shipped from Montreal and Quebec, in kegs and casks. The anuual crop varies from 2000 to 7000 gal. The approximate London market value is 8d. a lb.
3. Carpathian balsam (Fn., Terrbinthine des Carpathes).—This turpentine is yielded by the COD.. bran, Siberian, or Swiss stone pine (Pinus Cembra), a tree forming the last zone of forestal vegeta tion, and occurring in France only on the Brianconnais Alps. The bark contains reservoirs of a liquid, colourless, limpid oleo-resin, having a pleasant odour, and acrid bitter flavour. It is rare in commerce.
4. Chian or Cyprian turpentine (FR., Te'rehinthine [Begone] de C7tio [Chypres]; GER., Chios, Cyprischer Terpentin).—This is a product of Pistachia Terebinthus, a shrub or tree of the Mediterra ucan islands and shores and Asia Minor, extending as P. palcestina to Syria and Palestine, as P. calrulica eastward to Afghanistan and Beluchistan, and as P. atlantica t,o N. Africa and the Canaries. The commercial eource of the oleo-resin is at present exclusively the island of Chios (Scio), but the wide distribution of the plant would facilitate the increase of the supply if necessary. In the Algerian forests, it ie abundant ae a large tree (50 ft. high and 6 ft. circ.), and affords a spontaneous exudation during the hot weather amounting te 7-14 oz. This spontaneous exudation is considered euperior to that whioh is induced by incising or puncturing the bark, but is much lesa plentiful. Chios supplies the world's needs of this turpentine from about 1000 trees, some being 800-900 years old. Longitudinal incieione aro made in the lower portion of the sterns about April, when the trees aro in full bloom. These incision.s are prolonged upwards tnore or less, according to tho quantity of turpentine it is desired to obtain, the resinoue juice being secreted in special cells in the bark. The incisions are renewed every year. The anneal crop of Chios is about 300-400 °hes
(of 2.82 lb.), this being the quantity ordinarily demanded by the market ; but in an exceptional ease, probably 3000-4000 ()hes could be secured in one season. The flow from the incisions continues during the whole summer, and the quantity amounts to about 10-11 oz. A century ago, the turpentine was caught from the incieions in little earthenware cups suspended from the sterns ; but the low prices ruling in more recent years favoured carelessness in the collecting, and the com mon practice of the present day is to leave the exudation to harden on the etem, or fall upon the sand or etonos benesth. Home the impure and inferior character of the modern drug. It under goes some purification locally by being melted iu the sun and strained through small baskets. Tito trade is almost exclueively in the hands of the Jews.
The solo use of this turpentine iu England is for medicinal purposes. It had long been virtually obsolete, when Dr. Clay's success in treating cancer with it ree,alled it into notice, and created a demand for it which was greater than could be immediately supplied, whence mueli sophistication and eubstitution were resorted to, the favourite materials apparently being Canadian and common turpentine. Ite chief characteristics are DS follows. The flavour is feebly aromatic and tere bintliinous, quite devoid of bitterness snd acridity. The odour is pleasantly aromatic, faintly terebin thinous, and quite characteristic, ; it has been likened to elemi and to fennel, and is very distinct from coniferous oleo-resins. The consistence varies greatly with age. The solubility of the drug in 1 vol. of warm rectifled alcohol (60 o.p.) is almost complete; it is not quite bright, but does not deposit to any large extent on cooling. Nauy of the coniferous resins may thus be detected. Organic remains aro always preseut in Chian turpentine, from the method of collection ; these may be studied as additional evidence of the origin of the drug under examination.
5. Onnmon and Bordeaux] Turpentine (FR., Ii,rAinthine commune; GER., Gem,einer Terrentin).—Common turpentine is afforded by a number of epecies of pine in both hemispheree. In Europe, they are chiefly the Scotch pine (Pinus sylvestris) in Finland and Russia; the Corsican piue (P. Lariciu) in Austria and Corsica; the maritime fir or pin maritime cp. Pinaster in S.-W. France. In Asia, there are P. ercelsa in Nepal and the Himalayas, P. longifolia in the Himalayas, P. Gerardiana in the Himalayas, P. Massoniana in Japau and Burma, and P. Khasyana nnd P. Lattcri in Burtna. In America, the swamp or Georgia. pitch pine (P. australis [palustris]) and the loblolly (P. Tockt) in the S. United States, and the common red pine (P. resinosa) in Canada.. The cultivation of these trees will be described in the article on Timber. In the present article, attention will be confined to their resinous exudations.