JvNE I, ibSb,\ 



THE TROPICAL AGKiCULTURlST. 



b2i 



ifoinei also occur in the same berbaritnn irom the 

 Isle of Pines and New Caledonia. 



Santti{u7m Vnsi, Seem. — The wood of this tree was 

 for a long time purchased from the nativefi of Fiji by 

 the Toiigati Islanders, who used part of it imd sold 

 the remainder to the Samoans, by whom it was used 

 for perfuming the coconut oil with wbich they grease 

 their naked bodies; for this purpose it was fir^t grated 

 ou one of the mushroom corals (FuHgia).^ As soon 

 as the existence of sandal wood iu Fiji became known 

 to European traders, it was speedily carried away to 

 the Chinese and Polynesian markets, so that iu ISU! 

 there was scarcely enough left for hon\e eonsumptiouj 

 and to save the tree from extinction, one was planted 

 in the gardens of the Mission Station at Bua. in \anua 

 Levu, the island where it was most abundant. From 

 this tree Dr. Seumann obtained the specimens used 

 for illustratinj^ the plant in * Flora Viticusis.' In lfi40 

 the tree was so rare that even the Fijiaus paid fancy 

 prices for pieces of the wood. The interior of these 

 islands has, however, not been thoroughly explore:!, 

 so that it is possible some trees may yet bo found 

 there. 



Saiit^htni aHstrO'Caf€d(/niaimy Viell. — The sandal wood 

 of this tree was obtained from Mare in 1841, and from 

 Vate in 1S43. In new Caledonia it is known to the 

 natives as Tibi:an. The u.itural woods having been 

 nearly exhausted iu New Caledonia, the tree has lately 

 been cidtivated, and a small quantity, valued at ii<S, 

 was exported from Xoimiea to France in 182^*^. 



•y. Cttttninf/liamij Hook., is said to yield sandal wood 

 iu New Zealand. 



E.rocai'puis lati/ofinf:, K. Kr, — A specimen of the wood 

 of this tree was exhibited as AVest Australian sandal 

 wood ("6'. latit/oUinn'') at the International Paris 

 Kzhibitiou of 1878, and is now in the Museum oE this 

 ISociety. It possesses but little fragrance. 



Australian sandal wood is received in this country 

 from Adelaide and Freemantle. It yields less oil of 

 a less fragrant odour than the wood of 'V. alhi'iii. Ftf.'itmits 

 spicatus, K. Br. {Santalnin a/gHOruni, Miq.) This tree 

 has a wide range through South and "West Australia, 

 and a large export of the wood has gone on annually, 

 chieriy to China, the exports in 1384 having amounted 

 to 2t>20 tons, at au estimated value of £5 per ton, 

 thdit of iS. tdhu III being about £40 per ton. The export 

 is expected to continue for some years to come 

 before the source is exhausted. There is a duty of 

 about 5v. per ton on all the sandal wood exported. 



Fii:ianf'.s pet'sxcaHiKs, F. Muell. (X. pcrsicarimnj 

 F. Muell.) as stated by Kosenthal to yield sandalwood 

 in AVf^st Australia, and .S. laacolatum, K. Br., iu 

 North Australia, N'ew South Wales and (^>ueeusland, 

 but I can find no account of their exportation, 



ICteinophila Mitcfiefli.--Dr. Bancroft presenti'd a 

 specimen of this wood to the Museum of the Socinty. 

 stating that it was known in (Queensland as caudal 

 wood. It has a weak fragrance not exactly like 

 sandal wood, and the ht;art wood i& of a deep 

 brownish-red colour. 



VenezneUi ISnmfal If'ood, — A specimen of this wood 

 was presented to the Museum, together with a fine 

 sample of the oil, by Messrs. Schimmel and Co., of 

 Leipzig, who stated that it came from Puerto Cabello, 

 in Venezuela. It is the source of the W. I. sandal 

 wood oil o^ commerce. It has already been point-ed 

 oat iu 'Phirmacographia,' second ed. p., 603, that this 

 oil may be di.'^tiuguished by deviating the ray of polar- 

 ized light 6 1-y to the right, while oil of sandal wood 

 deviates it IS t? to the left in a cohnnn 100 milli- 

 metres long. The name of saudai wood bark having 

 been applied in Mexico to what is probably the bark 

 of a t>pccies of Jfyroxi/loa, and ISnctda capitata being 



• In reply to an iiMjuiry I made at the British 

 Museum Mr. .S. O. Ridley informs nie that the species 

 of fungus most liliely to be u.sed is F. dttttift-ra, 

 Pana, which is suniotimes five inches long, and has 

 large strong teeth. Being elongated it could be readily 

 graspeil by the baud, and would answer the puipose 

 well. As a new name for this species will probably 

 soon be publisiicd I have not uicutiouod the species 

 iu tUtj text. 



known iu the West Indies, according to Griesbacb. 

 as sandul wood, it seemed probable that the name 

 might be applied in Venezuela to some other tree, 

 since the specimen of wood presented to the Soeiety 

 appeared imlike the wood ot Mi/roj-j/ion or, so far as 

 I could ascertain, tliat of Combretaceous trees. Ac- 

 cordingly, I wrote- to Mr. R. Conn, the British "N'ice- 

 Consul at Puerto Cabello, who lias kindly forwarded 

 a living specimen of the plant and two dried speci- 

 mens, hut unfortunately neither leaves nor fruit were 

 then obtainable. So far as can be judged from the 

 leaves the plant belongs to the liuttnut^ 



As the plant doo?; not appear to exist in the national 

 herbaria ht Kew, or at the British Museum, a brief 

 description may be placed on record here. The stem 

 if branched in an irregularly dichotomous manner, the 

 branches being erecto-patent. The hark is thin and 

 brittle, resemblijig in general appearance that of 

 jaborandi or quassia. The leaves are alternate below, 

 becoming more or less opposite on the twigs. The 

 leaves arw tive-foholate and impiiripinnate. The leaflets 

 are oppsile, with a petiole about a quarter of an inch 

 in length, entire at the margin, thin but somewhat 

 rigid when dry, ovate, lanceolate, and acuminate, .some- 

 what shining about but glaucous underneath. When 

 held up to the light thcy are seen to contain innumer- 

 able oil receptacles, whichj like those of jaborandi, vary 

 in size in the same leaf. The oilour of the leaves and 

 bark also recalls that of jaborandi. In shape and ven- 

 ation of the leaves the plant approaches the genus 

 Spirtf/iiiu'td, but the leaves are much thinner. lentil 

 tlowers and fruit can be obtained the plant must there- 

 fore, be considered to be one hitherto undescribed. 



Dilr. W. Ku'kby at my request has kindly cut sections 

 of the wood of Sautir/um aJbutn, the Macassar sandal 

 wood, and that from Venezuela presented by Messrs. 

 Schimmel and Co. The first two present very little 

 difference in structure, but the Venezuela wood has 

 the porous vessels arranged in distinct lines, as seen 

 iu the transverse section. 



Of the Japanese sandal wood mentioned in ' Phar- 

 macographia,' I have been able to ascertain nothing, 

 except that true sandal wood ('S". ul(n'-nt) does not grow 

 in dapan. The only trees mentioned by Frauehet and 

 Savatier belonging to the order in that country are 

 h\voca)'pvs f^itifoHa, R. Br. (SoMtaLum latifoliinii)^ and 

 h'ltckfeya lanceolxta. Miq., but neither of these appear 

 to have native Japanese names, and presumably 

 are not used like sandal wood. Nor have I been 

 able to ascertain what wood it is that is exported 

 from No.«>si-b<; under the name of saudai wood, or 

 the source of the kind exported to this country from 

 Zanzibar, but I am informed by a tlistillor of sandal 

 wood oil that the latter is considered almost worthless 

 for purposes of distillation. 



Oif of Sandiil flood. -Of all the different species 

 of sandal wood above mentioned there appear to ho 

 only two used at the present time as sourct^s of the 

 volatile oil of commerce (unless the wood yielding 

 the Macassar oil proves to be derived from a distinct 

 species), viz., Sujiiafum alhinn, i'urni&hing the Kast 

 Indian and Macassar oil, and the Venezuela, tree fur- 

 nishing West Indian '* Sandal wood oil." Inquiries 

 kindly made for me by Mr. C. l^mney show 

 that all the sandal wood during the last two yearn 

 imported into this country has come from Bombay, 

 except two lot^ from Zanzibar, offered ou February 

 U* and April 1*S of 1884, and a small (juantity from 

 Champion Bay, but these were regarded as of in- 

 different quality.* The Bombay saudai wood as 

 imported varies .so much in yield of oil that those 

 who are accustomed to buy the wood for dihtillalion 

 are often greatly <leeeived in their estimate of its 

 yield. Mr. IJmney states that the large.st percentage 

 obtained by bim has been \'bi Imt that sometimes 

 less than a third of this quantity will result from 

 careful distillation. The amount obtained also greatly 

 depends upon the fine state of division to which the 



* I learn from another source that saudai wood from 

 the Pacific laland.s and Australia has very little sutnt. 

 and is used iu this country for furniture and cabiutit 

 work ouly. 



