104 



Mr. Ferguson remarked it would be well for the Society to get 

 planters to make co-operative experiments. As regarded eleva- 

 tion, Mr. Campbell mentioned to him that in the Himalayas at 

 7,000 feet elevation that grass grew. 



H. E. the Governor : What I observed two days ago showed 

 that this grass will grow up to 7,000 feet ; we can try several 

 elevations. We have got at the present moment a certain number 

 of gentlemen in various parts of the Colony who are prepared to 

 assist us in experiments, and whose names are noted as being 

 affiliated for the purpose. 



Variation in Yield at Certain Seasons.— Mr. Ferguson : 

 Mr. Wright might be able to give us details as regards crops in 

 relation to acreage. 



Mr. Wright said that there was a great variation in the weight 

 of grass obtained at certain times of the year and in the weight 

 of the oil. In the case of Citronella, taking three seasons' 

 records it roughly worked out at I lb. of oil from 250 lbs. grass. 

 Oa the other hand from Lemon grass they roughly got I lb. of 

 oil from 5 00 lb. grass. Lemon grass, of course, was smaller. 

 He pointed out that at the end of the dry season they got more 

 oil from a given quantity of grass. 



Soil Exhaustion and Rotation. — Dr. H. M. Fernando 

 remarked that it was well-known that Citronella grass exhausted 

 the soil to a great extent, would it therefore be advisable to plant 

 it as a catch crop among coco-nuts, etc.? 



Mr. Wright explained that Citronella was very exhausting to 

 the soil if grown alone, but if it was associated with other products 

 the exhaustion was far from being at all dangerous to cultivation. 

 If at the end of two or three years they did not re-open land in 

 Citronella or Lemon grass but adopted a rotation crop, either of 

 crotalaria, or ground nuts, or even chillies — he had seen that 

 product used in the Southern Province — they would get better 

 results from the soil after that. Of course, if they did not grow 

 anything with coco-nuts or cocoa or rubber the land would lose 

 all the same by being allowed to remain exposed. 



Mr. Ferguson pointed out that the gross return from Lemon 

 grass was given at Rs. 160 an acre, and Citronella Rs. 54. Was 

 there any particular reason for the difference .■' 



Adulterated Oil.— Wr. Wright explained that in the old 

 days Citronella oil obtained a better price than Lemon grass oil. 

 The price was simply the result of the greater demand for the one 

 article than the other. They might be able to raise the price of 

 Citronella oil by exporting it under a Government guarantee of 

 purity. At the present time Citronella oil was simply adulterated. 



H. E. the Governor : Am I to understand that the price 

 obtained for Citronella oil, at the present time, is the price of 

 adultei^ated Citronella oil exported from Ceylon ? 



Mr. Wright : — It is the price of crude, unfiltered oil. 



The Hon. Mr. W. H. JACKSON wished to know if any analysis 

 had been made of the waste grass after the oil had been expressed. 



