Vol. XV. Xo. 369. 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



19.5 



THE BAY TREE AS A CROP PLANT. 



The increa.sed interest which has arisen in regard to bay 

 oil has led to a demand for information in a concise form 

 regarding future prospects of the industry, best methods of 

 cultivation to be pursued, mode of procedure likely to give 

 best results in conducting distillations and other general 

 points in relation to the industry. This will be found in the 

 form of an article by Dr. H. A. Tempany and Mr. W. Eobson, 

 in the West Indmn Bulletin just issued (Vol. XV, No. 3). 



Regarding the future demand for bay oil, it is stated 

 that, judging from authoritative reports there does not appear 

 to be any likelihood of the demand for the product being 

 exceeded by the supplj'. In certain quarters active attempts 

 are being made to inci ease consumption, and in this connexion 

 editorial remarks made in the Perlvmery and Essential Oil 

 Record to the effect that, having regard to its delightful 

 fragrance, considerable extension of the use of bay oil could 

 be found in soaps and other toilet articles, is of considerable 

 importance There appears to be an opening for bay oil in 

 the perfumery trade as well. In regard to market values, the 

 English price for British West Indian bay oils ranges between 

 lO.s. and Ws. per B)., c & f. In 8t. Thomas the price is higher, 

 but that is due to abnormal conditions of supply and demand. 



So far as is known, the existing .supplies of leaves and 

 oil are almost entirely derived from tiees growing in i.slands 

 like St. Jan, Porto Rico and Dominica, in a state of nature. 

 Dr. Tempany and Mr. Robson suggest that production 

 would be more profitable if the trees were .systematically 

 cultivated and planted on plantation lines. Experiments 

 have been made for some years on these lines in Montserrat, 

 and perhaps the most important f)art of the paper under 

 review is the description of this useful piece of work which 

 has given rise to results of an encouraging nature. It is 

 concluded from ob.servations made as to the yield per acre 

 year by year, that cultivation and proper planting pay. 



The method of establishing a bay orchard is described in 

 some detail. The bay tree produces seed during the period 

 June to August in Montserrat, generally in considerable profu- 

 sion. Bay seeds very soon lose their vitality, and should 

 be sown immediately they are taken from the berries. 

 The most successful method of sowing is found to be 

 in boxes, in a mixture of loam, leaf soil, and sand; 

 though the seed can be successfully raised in suitably 

 prepared beds. The beds, however, must be protected 

 from the sun. Germination tikes place in about fourteen 

 days, and the nursing of the plants for the rather long period 

 of twelve months is necessary before they are fit to be planted 

 out into the field. It is important to jirovide a certain amount 

 of shade for a limited period after transplanting. In carrj'ing 

 out this operation, the tap roots of the young plants should 

 be cut with a spade or similar tool six weeks before it is 

 intended to remove the plants, the result of which is the 

 formation of a mat of fibrous roots near the surface. This 

 operation is consi Jered to be absolutely necessary where plants 

 are to be taken directly from the beds to the fields. 



As regards the best situation for bay trees, any soil vary- 

 ing from a light to a clayey loam would appear to be suitable: 

 preferably, perhaps, the latter. Though the trees are com- 

 paratively hardy, on wind-swept land they are not likely to be 

 a success. On good soils, 9 feet between the rows and 8 feet 

 between the plants will in the long run be found the most suit- 

 able distance for planting. This gives about 800 plants to the 

 acre. Experience would appear to indicate that a catch crop 



of cotton or some other suitable crop can be safely taken off 

 for the first two seasons. 



In handling the plantation, the idea kept in view should 

 be to maintain the trees in bush form not exceeding a height 

 of about 7 feet; such a course greatly facilitates the operation 

 of reaping the leaves. After the first two years, cultivation 

 expenses have proved to be very small, and have worked out, 

 on the average, at 16.*. per acre per annum. 



In .lanuary 1911, the plan of making monthly reapings 

 and distillations was followed, with the idea of endeavouring 

 to obtain reliable information as to whether the haves- 

 yielded a higher percentage of oil, or oil of better quality, at 

 any particular period of the year. The method of rea; ing^ 

 followed is to remove shoots on which all the leaves are 

 seen to be fairly matured, with a pair of ordinary garden 

 secateurs, the leaves being stripped off the shoots subse- 

 quently Only a few shoots are removed from any one 

 tree at a time, and nothing in the nature of stripping 

 the trees is resorted to. It is estimated that one reaper 

 with two women to strip the leaves from the branches, 

 ought to collect 300 B). of leaves per day, where trees 

 are grown in bush form as in a plantation. Before dis- 

 tillation it was the custom in this experimental cultivation 

 to dry the leaves for three days in a covered shed. The 

 actual yield of fresh leaves, and the actual amount of oil 

 obtained from them steadily increased each year; for instance, 

 the yield of oil in ounces per 100 B). of green leaves steadily 

 rose from 16'2 oz. in 1911 to 19o oz. in 1914. This increase 

 is put down to the fact that there was steadily increasing 

 vigilance to ensure that only those shoots were removed on 

 which the whole of the foliage was seen to be mature. The 

 yields recorded as regards oil content appear to compare 

 favourably with data obtained in connexion with St. Thomas. 



Leaving the subject of cultivating bay trees, the authors 

 of the paper under review next consider the principal chemi- 

 chI characteristics of bay oil. Bay oil consists of a number 

 of hydrocarbons, of which eugenol and myrceneare by far the 

 most important. The general average chemical and physicaL 

 characteristics of normal bay oil are recorded. 



It has usually been customary to adduce the valuation 

 of bay oils on the phenol content alone, but it is suggested' 

 that such a course is not altogether fair, having in view the 

 special characters of the product. In connexion with this 

 Mr. J. C. Umney has written in the Ptrfumery and Essential 

 Oil Record. In this article he suggests that if pains were 

 taken to bulk the oil so as to obtain a uniform product, 

 and the oil sold wiih a GovernmcLt guarantee that it is 

 solely the product of Finienta acris, the product would soon 

 find its correct position in the market. 



In regard to distillation, the paper provides information 

 to show that the operation is one which requires to be 

 conducted with a good deal of care in order to secure a uni- 

 form product, and to avoid waste of important constituents. 

 In view of the fact that in the past the distillation of bay oil 

 in the English islands has been left almost entirely in the 

 hands of the ignorant and careless native workers, it is hardly 

 surprising that the quality of the resulting product has 

 frequently exhibited wide variation in composition. 



[This article will be continued in the next issue of the 

 Aaricultural News in regard to other matters concerning: 

 distillation of bay oil.] 



