Vol. XVI. No. 403. 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS 



317 



CAMPHOR OIL FROM THE FEDERATED 

 MALAY STATES AND MAURITIUS. 



In a previous issue of this Journal (Vol. XIV, No. 35-5, 

 p. 39-5) reference was made to a peculiarity of the camphor 

 oil produced in the Federated Malay States, that consisted in 

 the absence of safrole, to which constituent the oil produced 

 in Japan largely owes its commercial value, and it was 

 suggested in the Ayricultaral Bulletin of the Federated 

 Malay States (July 191.5) from which the above information 

 was taken, that probably the absence of safrole in the 

 samples so far collected, was due to the fact that the 

 distillate was obtained from young twigs and leaves in the 

 Federated Malay States, whereas in the case of the ordinary 

 Japanese camphor oil of commerce, the distillate is derived 

 from old wood from mature trees. 



In a recent issue of the Bulletin of the Imperial 

 Institute (Vol. XIV, No. 4, October-December 1916) an 

 account is given of the results of examination made at the 

 Institute of further specimens of camphor oil, distilled experi- 

 mentally in the Federated Malay States, and also in Mauri- 

 tius. In regard to the camphor oil from the Federated Malay 

 States, which was, as on the previous occasion, obtained from 

 leaves and twigs, the absence of safrole was again character- 

 istic; but an important point is brought out as to the 

 commercial value of the oil which would seem to otf-set to 

 a great extent this apparent defect Samples of the original 

 oil were submitted to a firm of essential oil distillers for an 

 opinion as to its probable value. After examination, the 

 firm expre.ssed the opinion that the oil should realize about 

 the same price in the United Kingdom as ordinary brown 

 Japanese oil, the absence of safrole in the oil being compen- 

 sated by the camphor present. 



With regard to the oils from Mauritius, which were 

 obtained from leaves, twigs, and wood, the results were 

 somewhat disappointing. No solid camphor was obtained, 

 and the camphor wood oil was found to be quite different in 

 characters from normal camphor oil as produced in China 

 and Japan. Consequent on these results, a comprehensive 

 series of distillation trials were conducted in Mauritius, and 

 these are said to have confirmed the previous experiments, and 

 showed that the camphor trees in Mauritius do not yield 

 solid camphor on distillation, and that the small amount of 

 camphor present is readily dissolved in the oil and not 

 easily separated from it. 



It was thought possible that the abnormal character 

 of these oils might be due to the trees not being genuine 

 camphor trees, and at the suggestion of the Imperial Institute 

 a number of typical herbarium specimens of the trees from 

 which the oils were prepared were forwarded to Kew for 

 examination, with the following result, namely, that all 

 the specimens seemed to belong to Cinnaniomum Cntyiphora. 

 The Mauritius trees, therefore, are genuine camphor trees, 

 and an explanation of the abnormal character of the oil 

 must, consequently, be sought in other directions. 



There are many references in the literature of the sub- 

 ject to camphor trees which do not yield camphor, but the 

 reason for this abnormality is not at all clear. Climatic 

 causes are possible ; but it is thought to be more likely that 

 there are certain cultural races or varieties of the species 

 which give good yields of camphor, whilst others do not. In 

 this connexion reference is made to Giglioli, who states in 

 La Ganiora Italiana (p. 72) that even in Formosa varieties 

 exist which yield oil from which no camphor separates ; and 

 the Bulletin Economique de L'Indo-Chine (1907, 10, 204) 

 states that there are two chief varieties of the camphor tree, 

 ene with green leaf stems and the other with red leaf stems, 

 and that the latter type alone yields oil rich in camphor. 



It has been suggested in France that, owing to this 

 difficulty, camphor trees should be propagated from types 

 known to yield camphor, by means of grafts or cuttings ; 

 but it is pointed out that experience in Ceylon, the Federated 

 Malay States, Florida and elsewhere, makes it quite clear 

 that it is possible to raise from seed trees giving good yields 

 of camphor. 



To meet the ditfisulty in Mauritius, it is proposed to 

 obtain fre.sh seed for trial, and the Imperial Institute has 

 suggested to the authorities in the Colony that it would be 

 well to procure this from selected trees in Ceylon, or the 

 Federated Malay States, which are known to yield camphor. 



RECIPE FOR MAKING COCO-NUT 



BUTTER. 



Although a recipe for the above was given in the 

 Agricultural Neivs, August 2.5, 1917, the following 

 taken from the Balletin of the Department of 

 Agricidture, Trinidad and Tobago, issued August 13, 

 1917, seems to give such clear directions in the matter 

 that, considering the interest in the subject at present, 

 no apologies are needed for reproducing this: — 



Peel dry coconuts and grate into a bowl. Pour hot 

 water on the grated material in the proportion of about 

 1 pint of water for each nut, and allow to stand for about one 

 hour; then strain through coarse muslin, squeezing out all 

 the liquid as completely as possible. Put aside in a bowl all 

 night, or for a few hours if made during the day, by which 

 time all the oil will have risen like cream to the top of the 

 water. Skim the oil off, and place in a churn or wide- 

 mouthed glass jar, and add 1 teaspoonful of salt for each 

 nut used. Stand the jar on ice or in an ice chest, until 

 thoroughly cold. Then churn by shaking the bottle, or 

 otherwise, and the butter will form in about ten minutes. 

 Turn the mass out into a cloth, mould to shape, and keep in 

 the ice chest. If ice is not available, the butter can still be 

 made early in the morning, and kept solid by placing it in 

 a metal dish inside a porous pot set in the breeze with 

 a damp cloth over it. 



Some prefer to boil the grated nut after the water is 

 added. 



One ordinary nut yields about a |-tt). of butter. 



Another modification is to add a teaspoonful of yood 

 tin butter to the cream before churning. The butter then 

 forms more quickly, and has the colour of ordinary butter. 



Coco-nut butter does not keep more than two days, and 

 so should be made in small ijuantities as required. 



It is a good substitute for ordinary butter both for table 

 use and for cooking. 



Coco-nut oil is made in a similar manner so far as 

 skimming the cream off after standing. Then, instead of 

 churning, the cream is placed in a pot, and gently heated 

 until all the water is driven off. When cool, bottle 

 for u.se. 



DEPARTMENT NEWS. 



The Imperial Commissioner of Agriculture for the 

 West Indies left Barbados on Wednesday, October 3, 

 1917, for an oflficial visit to .St. Vincent. .Sir Francis 

 Watts is expected to be away for a fortnight. 



