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THE TROPICAL AGKICULTUKlSf. 



[fEB. I, J887. 



nevertheless they appear frequently in the London 

 drug market. 



Nutmegs were shown in the Ceylon Court and also 

 in tliose of Jamaica, Grenada, St. Vincent, St. Lucia 

 and Dominicn, the Grenada specimens preserved in 

 brine being particularly fine. The nutmegs and mace 

 in the Fiji Court were valueless as spice, being 

 entirely deficient in aroma, 



Cloves were exhibited from the Seychelles, Ceylon, 

 St. Lucia and Dominica, the two first-named being 

 the finest. 



Ginger was shown by Jamaica, Barbadoes, St. Lucia 

 Dominica, Montserrat, British Honduras, the Gold 

 Coast, and Sierra Leone. None of the exhibits pre- 

 sented a very good appearance, and some being in 

 the growing state it was diflScult to pronounce any 

 opinion upon them. 



Pepper was shown by Ceylon, North Borneo, and 

 the Straits Settlements, but none of the specimens 

 appeared to be particularly fine. 



Allspice was shown by Jamaica and Ceylon, and 

 the berries of the nearly-allied Fimenta acris in the 

 St. Lucia Court. 



Dill and fennel fruits were observed in the "West 

 Indian Court, and coriander fruit in that of Natal, 



Mustard was exhibited in variety from India and 

 sparingly from Natal and the West Indies. 



Excellent specimens of chillies were exhibited from 

 Natal, and both chillies and capsicum in great 

 variety in nearly all the West ladian Courts and 

 in British Guiana. 



Canella bark was shown from Jamaica, Trinidad 

 and the Bahamas, but none of the specimens were 

 equal to those frequently obtainable in the London 

 market. 



Of non-ofiicial spices, vanilla was well represented 

 in the Exhibition ; the finest specimens were those 

 from the Seychelles and Mauritius. Tonka beans, as 

 fine as those of Para, were shown in the British 

 Guiana Court. 



Esseniial Oils. 



Comparatively few of the essential oils used in 

 medicine were shown, but there were many others 

 that should possess considerable value in perfumery. 



Oil of cloves was represented by some excellent 

 specimens in the Seychelles Court. These had 

 been prepared respectively from green cloves, dried 

 cloves and clove stalks. 



The oils of cinnamon bark and leaf were shown 

 both from Ceylon and from Seychelles. The oil from 

 the leaf possesses an odour different from that of 

 the bark, resembling a mixture of cloves and cinna- 

 mon, and is, I believe, chiefly used for scenting soaps. 

 Oil of cassia distilled from the leaves and twigs 

 was shown in the Hong Kong Court, and oil of 

 cajuput only from the Straits Settlements. An oil 

 prepared from the fresh leaves of Melaleuca Leiccaden- 

 dron,\a.r. Lancifolia, Bail., exhibited in the Queens- 

 land Court, and supposed to be " similar, if not 

 identical with cajupat," differs in having a much 

 more disagreeable odour; that of Eucalyptus pomli- 

 folia does, however, close'y resemble cajuput in odour. 



Oil of lavender was shown only by Mr. Bo^isto, 

 as a product of Victoria. Although not equil to Mit- 

 cham oi], there is little doubt that this able and 

 energetic pharmacist will succeed ultimately in having 

 an cxcelleut article prepared from Victori,m flowers. 



Oil of peppermint of excellent quality, prep'ired 

 from plants grown in Victoria, was also exhibited 

 by Mr. Boisto. Some years ago it was offered in this 

 country, but the price obtained (25,<. per lb.) was 

 not sufficiently remunerative to lead to a repetition 

 of the experiment. Peppermint oil and menthol were 

 also exhibited in the Hong Kong Court by Messrs. 

 A. H. Watson and Co. According to information 

 furnished by these gentlemen the oil is distilled from 

 several kinds of mint, and is used in neuralgia and 

 indigestion. 



Oil of saudal-wood was exhibited in the India Cjurt 

 and also in that of Victoria {see Fharm. Jou.rn., [3], 

 xvi.. p. 820). The oil importid from India is generally 

 so adulterated with fixed oil, and is 60 opaque, that 

 English dealers prefer to distil the oil from the im- 



ported wood. There can be no reason, however, why 

 the pure oil should not be imported direct for medicinal 

 use, if carefidly prepared in Myson^ under' the super- 

 intendence of a qualified chemist. Some fine logs of 

 sandal-wood [Santahan Vasi) were .shown in the Fiji 

 Court, but no sample of the oil. A specimen pre- 

 par(!d from Australian sandal-wood was shown by Mr. 

 Bosisto. Besides the above official oils there were a 

 large number of others deserving of notice, as capable 

 of being used as flavoriug agents, or in perfumery. 

 Ods prepared from the rind of the lemon, lime, orange, 

 shaddock and citron formed prominent feature* in 

 several of the West India Courts. A sample of oil 

 of limes in the Trinidad Court, prepared from what 

 seems to be a hybrid between a lemon and a lime, 

 was shown, together with the fruit from which it was 

 obtained ; it resembles a very fine specimen of essence 

 of lemon in flavour and odour, but gives chemical 

 reactions like oil of limes. The ecuelled oils both of 

 limes and lemons were far superior in point of odour 

 to those prepared by distillation. The ecuelled oil of 

 lemons from the A\'est Indies might well compete in 

 the European market with much that is now derived 

 from Sicily. Other essential oils that might be em- 

 ployed as flavouring agents are the oil of sweet basil, 

 exhibited by the Montserrat Company and by Dr. 

 Hollings in the Montserrat Court, the oils of pepper 

 and mace from the Straits Settlements, and the oil of 

 pimento from Jamaica and St. Lucia. 



Some of the oils which might be made available in 

 perfumery are the following. In the Indian Court, 

 oil of Fandanus odoratissimiis, having an ordour like 

 honey; oil of henna flowers, resembling in odour a 

 tea rose ; and the aromatic oil of champaca flowers. 

 In the Straits Settlements Court, oil of balsam of 

 Peru pods, resembling the perfume of bean flowers 

 in odour; and the oils of Canella o.lha und cascarilla. 

 In the Montserrat Court the Montserrat Company 

 exhibited a specimen of oil of lime leaves, which had 

 a peculiar fragrance of its own, quite distinct from 

 that of neroli. Apparently the only specimen of oil 

 of bergamot in the Exhibition was shown by the same 

 firm. An oil of wild ginger (Eenealmia sp .\ ) was shown 

 in the Dominica Court that possessed a peculiar frag- 

 rance of its own. In the Jamaica Court several 

 novelties in essential oils were exhibited, including 

 those of Critonea Dalea, which has an odour of new- 

 mown hay; IJedi/osmiim nutans and Jfisromeria obovata, 

 which are not especially attractive in odour, and the oil 

 of Juniperus Berinudiana wnich has a perfume resem- 

 bling that of oil of cedar. The oil of bay leaves 

 {Fimenta acris), used in making bay rum, was exhi- 

 bited in several of the West Indian courts; it appears 

 to be chiefly sent to the United States. 



In the Queensland Court several oils derived from 

 different species of ecualyptus were shown. Of these 

 the oils of B. Plnuchoniana and E. dealhata resemble citro« 

 wWe, and these Oi E. Staigeriajia, E. citriodora and of 

 Backhousia citriodora resemble the oil of lemon grass. 



It is remarkable that there appears to be a much 

 larger demand for oil of citronelle than for that of 

 lemon grass, or verbena as it is commonly called, the 

 former being probably more largely used for per- 

 fuming soaps- The oil of ^ithercspermo moschatum, 

 exhibited in the Victoria Court, and that of yesod' 

 aphne ohtusifolioi\u the Queensland Court, both resembles 

 sassafras in odour; the former, however, in a dose 

 of a very few drop-;, is, according to IMr. Bosisto, 

 quite poisonous, producing steppage of the lieart's action. 

 Other essential oils worthy of notice are the fine 

 specimens exhibited in the Victoria Court of the oils, 

 of Ei'.calp2'tv.s ami/f/dalina, L. dnmosa, E- oleosa, and 

 E. (/hlu'Jns. These oils, particularly E- oleosa, possess 

 a remarkably solvent action on many resins that are not 

 soluble or only partially so in alcohol, but on account 

 of their high price could only be used for varnishes 

 employed by artists, for which purpose they are said 

 to have the advantage of rendering the colours brighter. 

 According to Mr. Bosisto the oil of Eucalyptus 

 i/lol'u.lus soon darkens m colour and becomes oxidized 

 and resinified when exposed to light. A very fragrant 

 eesence of the flowers of Acacia pi/oiantlui, prepared 

 by enfleurage, was shown in the Victoria Court. It 



