Dec, 1911.] Ohio Grown Perilla. 427 



OHIO GROWN PERILLA. 



Chas. p. Fox. 



The Perilla plant is an indigenous Labiatae of China, Japan 

 and India. Several varieties of Perilla nankensis are grown as 

 ornamental plants. Perilla ocimoides is not an ornamental plant, 

 but is grown to a large extent in Japan and China for its oil. 

 Perilla ocimoides is a tall, rough plant with square, much branched 

 stems, simple, ovate leaves of light green. Blooms in September. 

 Flowers, small, white, blotched with purple, numerous, in compact 

 spike. Seeds ripen soon after flowering. Perilla seeds are 1-16 

 inch in diameter, irregular, about the same color, and much resem- 

 ble those of the radish. They have a pleasant, slightly sweet, 

 oily taste. Outer surface of seed reticulated. All portions of the 

 plant contain a volatile oil or camphor, with strong minty odor. 



The seed contains a fixed oil similar in taste, odor and drying 

 qualities to our common linseed oil. In Manchuria, this oil is 

 used for edible purposes. In Japan, the drying qualities of the 

 oil are utilized in waterproofing paper umbrellas, in the manufac- 

 ture of paints, varnishes and lacquers, in making transparent 

 paper for windows, and in fabricating artificial leather. Its use 

 in manufacture of window paper is very important. Commercial 

 name of this oil is Yo-Goma. 



In September, 1910, U. S. Consul Sammon, at Yokahama, 

 Japan, reported on the uses of this plant and suggested its intro- 

 duction into the United States. According to this report, (Daily 

 Trade Reports, Bureau of Manufactures, Sept. 14, 1910), the 

 plant thrives on the sandy soils of the colder portions of Japan 

 and China. 



In Japan, 300,000 bushels are produced annually. About 20 

 bushels per acre is the average yield. The oil is obtained by 

 pressing, a bushel of seed producing a gallon of oil. The oil has 

 a ready market at 35c per sho or 70c per gallon. The seed sells 

 at 10c per pound. 



Following the suggestion of Mr. Sammon, we imported, 

 direct from Japan, early in 1911, a small quantity of this seed. 

 Seed sown in mid April on the dry, sandy upland soil of West 

 Akron. Its growth during the following summer, indicated that 

 it is not a drought resisting plant. The plant develops, at an 

 early date, a strong root system made up of many fine rootlets. 

 These roots are surface feeders and, on this account, the plant is 

 easily affected by dry weather. On moist, clayey soil the growth 

 was much better. Estimates made on the basis of a small area 

 gave a yield of 400 pounds of clean seed per acre. Our crop did 

 not fill well. Only about 80% of the seed pockets contained a 



1. Presented at the Twenty-first Annual Meeting of the Ohio Acad, of 

 Sci., December 1, 1911, Columbus. 



