August i, 1882.] 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



147 



MEDICINAL PLANTS IN INDIA AND THE 

 DISTILLATION OF ESSENTIAL OIL'S, 

 PtKFUMES, &c.— NEW INDUSTRIES 

 FOE CEYLON. 

 Amougst the jjapers we have received from the 

 Madras Govern.neut ia copy of a letter from Siirgeou- 

 General Cornish, specially dealing with the growth 

 in India of Hyoscyamus {henbane), but noticing besides 

 other drugs the extract from leaves of the Australian 

 blue-gum, which ia a valuable antiseptic. Mr. 

 Bosisto, M. P., Chemist, of Richmond, near Melbourne, 

 had in the Exhibition of 1880-81 a very largo collec- 

 tion of propariitions from the Eiccah/pli and other 

 trees of similar properties, and we should think that 

 even with cost of carriage the extract could be more 

 cheaply obtained from Melbourne than prepared in 

 India. As the experiment is to be tried, however, 

 we shall be curious to know if the trees naturalized 

 in India and Ceylon are as rich in essential oil as 

 they are in their native habitat, We quote as fol- 

 lows : — 



" A packet of Hyoscyamus seed was received 

 by me from the Collector of Nilgiris. I have to 

 point out that seeds of this plant are not used in 

 medicine. An extract is made from the fresh leaves, 

 and a tincture from the dried leaves. Formerly, 

 when a medical officer was stationed at the Cattle 

 Farm, Hoonsoor, Hyoscyamus was cultiviited there, 

 and the requirements of the Medical Store Department 

 in the way of extract, and dried leaves were met 

 from thii source, but some bad extract having been 

 made, and the charges for cooly labour in cultivating 

 and making tbe extract, costing more than the Eng- 

 lish price of the drug, the local cultivation and manu- 

 facture was abandoued and Hyoscyamus extract and 

 leaves procuied from England. Of bite yeai-e, how- 

 ever, the medicinal garden at Ghaneshkhiud, Bombay 

 Presidency, has supplied the medical si ore require- 

 ments in the way of Hyoscyamus leaves and extract, 

 and none has been procnred from England. From the 

 enclosoil lettir from ilie Principal M-dical Storekeeper 

 it wdl be obst-rved that tbe Ghaneslikind samples of 

 Hyoscyamus lea\fs and extractare of ex'cellent quality 

 The price of the leaves is 6 annas per lb., and of 

 the e.xtract Rl-S-0 per lb,, delivered in Madras, asil 

 these rates are considerably beloA the English prices 

 of the articles. Unless, therefore, the Superinteudtnt 

 of theGovernmeut Gardens, Ootacamund, could supply 

 the medical ."stores at lower rates than those quoi.d, 

 there would l)e no advantage in obtaining the supply 

 locally. I believe the Ghaue.shkhind medicinal garden 

 is aiming to supply all India with dru:,'S that can 

 be locally cultivated lo advantage, at.d, as Hyoscyamus 

 grows best in the medium climates of Hoonsoor and 

 the Deccan, it is doubtful if it is worth while to 

 grow it lit Kulliuity, on tbe small scale necessary 

 for meeting the requirements of tbe Madras Medical 

 Store D partnient. Tbe extract can be made cheaper 

 when the manufacture is conducted on a larger scale. 

 The climate of the Nilgiri Hills is well adapted for 

 the growth of jaUip, and the giirdens should soon 

 be able to supply all the medical stores, in India with 

 a sufficiency, even if the drug does not become a 

 commercial export. The essential oil of peppeimint, 

 now impoite<l at a high price, (;ught also to be pro- 

 ducid at Kulhutty at a cheaper rate than it can Ije 

 imported. I ehould wish also to have locally pre- 

 pared the essential oil of the blue-gum {Eucali/jilrs 

 globulus), which is now coming into use, (recommended 

 by Professor Lister) as an antiseptic, and used instead! 

 of carbolic acid in spray, during surgical operations. 

 I propose to have some experimental trials of the 



production of the essential oil from the leaves of the 

 blue-gum." 



In this connection we call attention to the letter 

 of Messrs. Hutchison & Co., in another column. There 

 can be no doubt that there is scope for an extension 

 of the present low-country industry in the prepar- 

 ation and export of Essential Oils. The late Mr. 

 George Winter of Baddegama was, we believe, the 

 first to pay attention to the cultivation ofcitronella 

 and lemougrass, and his descendants continue to 

 manufacture a large proportion of the oil which now 

 leaves the Colony, mainly to be used in scenting eoaps, 

 for perfumery, kc. On Lord Elphinstone's Pauadnrc pro- 

 perty under the care of Mr. S. W. Foulkes, a large 

 quantity has also been prepared for export and of 

 recent years the cultivation of citronella {Andropoyon 

 cilratum) and the distillation of the oil have been ex- 

 tending to various points along our Western seaborde. 

 We learn from ,Mr. W. A. Lyford, who not 

 long ago exchanged coffee planting in the Puu- 

 daluoya valley for a plantation in the Bala- 

 pitimodara district, in which the cultivation of 

 Liberian coffee and tea is conjoined \vith that of 

 citronella, that the still for the last-mentioned 

 (manufactured by the natives of copper sheets) is a 

 very simple affair, and that there is no difficulty 

 about the operation. But the sum (45s) mentioned 

 by Messrs. Hutchison & Co., as the cost of a still 

 adapted for the extraction of volatile oils is so 

 moderate as to place it within easy reach of pioneers. 

 We were struck the other day with the luxuriant 

 growth and strong perfume of the geraniums ahnost 

 running wild in bungalow gardens and along estate 

 paths in Maskeliya and the thouglit at ouce 

 suggested itself why not cultivate these and distil 

 the essential oil. Patchouli would no doubt be as 

 valuable a perfume as any to experiment with and 

 the Indian herb ( Poijostemon jMtchonli) from which 

 it is obtained, w-ould grow freely. Altogether our 

 hill, as well as low, country presents a wide field for 

 experiments of commercial value in this direction, 

 and we shall be glad of the further information which 

 Messrs. Hutchison & Co. promise to send. Not 

 only the leaves of the Eucalypti so freely growing in 

 our higher districts, but the indigenous mana-grass 

 of our patanas may well be operated on. 



The value of Essential Oils exported from Ceylon 

 was £8,238 in 1850, rising to £13,141 in 1865, while 

 in 1871 it had fallen to £11,098. Last year, however, 

 the total value was close on £29,000, made up as 

 follows : — 



Citronella Oil ... (Customs' nominal value) 11247,413 

 Cinnamon ,, ... ,, ,, 31,067 



CiimamonLeaf,, ... ,, ,, 5,018 



LemonGnass ,, ... ,, ,, 1,751 



" Essential" ,, .. „ „ 4,190 



Total 



R289,439 



RIVALRY IN SILK AND TEA. 

 ji Chinese tradition attributes the discovery of silk 

 lo one of the wives of the Emperor of Cliina, Hoang-ti, 

 who is said to bave reigned about two thous.ind years 

 before the Christian era ; and since that time — so tlie 

 tale runs— a special spot has beeu allotte ' in the gardens 



