Notes. 197 



Buchu. 



As is well known, biichii leaves contain valuable medicinal pro- 

 perties widely used as a diuretic and stomachic. It has lono- been 

 known at the Cape as a remedy for stomachic troubles, being taken as 

 an infusion in brandy, and is now being extensively used in South 

 African medical practice. Of our exports the bulk goes to the United 

 States, where it is used as a compound in certain proprietary 

 medicines ; among English and continental chemists, however, it is 

 not -generally known. The first exportation of buchu from South 

 Africa was in 1821, and since then there has been a steady trade in 

 this commodity. Up to the time of the war the quantity exported 

 did not show very great variations, but in recent years there has been 

 a falling off in export trade. The average annual export for the 

 five years 1910 to 1914 was 204,271 lb., valued at £30,394, while the 

 average for the five years 1915 to 1919 was 130,161 lb., valued at 

 £23,937. In 1900 the average price of export buchu was 4d. per lb., 

 gradually rising to 8d. in 1909. The next year there was a large 

 increase, the price being Is. 9d. per lb., followed by 2s. 9d. per lb. 

 in the succeeding year. Since then the price has never been below 

 3s., while in 1919 it was nearly 5s. per lb. These prices are the 

 average, of course, for all grades exported, but for the best variety 

 (Barosma hetulina) much higher prices were obtained; for instance, 

 in 1917 good round leaf {B. hetulina) obtained 6s. 3d. per lb., while 

 the Capetown market price in 1920 ranged from 9s. to lis. per lb. 

 In the 1919-20 Annual Report of the Capetown Chamber of Commerce 

 it is stated that " our market here opened with quotations of 6s. per 

 lb., but little business was done until prices advanced to 7s. and 

 7s. 6d. Even these figures were not long maintained, and soon 8s. 

 was not considered a high price." In London the average price 

 during 1914-19 was 2s. 5d. to 5s. 6d. per lb., according to quality. 



In a valuable article on the subject which appeared in the South 

 African Journal of Industries (Vol. I, No. 1), Dr. Phillips (now of 

 the Division of Botany) remarks that the questions which should 

 occupy the close attention of those interested in the buchu trade 

 are: — " (1) Whether it will pay to cultivate the various species of 

 Barosma, for which there is an outlet, especially B. hetulina; (2) 

 the gathering of the leaves at the right time and the proper curing, 

 so as to obtain a good, dark, green leaf with the maximum quantity 

 of essential oil ; (3) the proper grading of consignments, which should 

 be quite free from adulterants." 



An interesting article on buchu by Mr. G. R. von Wielligh was 

 published in the Agricultural Journal of July, 1913, in which the 

 author referred to the manner in which this valuable plant has been 

 injudiciously exterminated, and to the detrimental effect of continual 

 veld fires in destroying seedlings and young plants, the result being 

 that farms once possessing lucrative fields of buchu have been 

 devastated to such an extent that to-day plants are found on them in 

 isolated places only, and do not pay the cost of gathering the leaves. 



The world demand for both the buchu herb and oil is rapidly 

 increasing, and the future prospects of buchu as a field crop are good, 

 so that increased interest is being taken in the cultivation of the 

 plant, and experiments in this direction have recently been carried 

 out at the National Botanic Gardens at Kirstenbosch, with very 

 satisfactory results, and we publish in this issue an article which 



