420 SCITAMINEM 



of the former. Upon saponification of tlie mixture with alco- 

 holic potashj two crystalline acids were obtained; the rndhyl- 

 paracoumaric and another, apparently a fatty acid. This latter 

 \yas totally insoluble. in boiling water, but crystallizable from 

 alcohol. The quantity obtained did not enable the author to 

 identify it with certainty. A minute quantity of the oily fluid 

 abovementioned drojDped uj^on the clothes, rendered them 

 highly odorous for a considerable length of time, or, if exposed 

 caused a large room to be pervaded with an odour rcsembliug 

 that of hyacinths. 



Commerce, — The Chinese drug which fonns by far the greater 

 proportion of the commercial article is shipped to Indian ports 

 i)ia Singapore, and is valued at lis. 4| per matmd of 37^ lbs. 

 Sir E. Buck {Dye^ and Tans of the N.-W. Provinces) gives the 

 export from Kumaon in 1875-76 as 95-^^ cwts., and also states 

 that in the same year an equal quantity was exported from 

 Garhwal, and 40| cwts. from the Bijnor district. In Davies' 

 Trade Rejjort 25 maunds (about 2^000 lbs.) are given as the 

 annual export via Peshawar to Afghanistan ( Diet. Econ. 

 Prod. Ind. ly., p. 208). The Indian kind is valued in Bombay 

 at about Us. 6 per maund of 37^ lbs. It is not so handsome 

 in apj)earance as the Chinese, but is more odorous. 



ZINGIBER OFFICINALE. l?osc. 



Fig. — Benfl. and Trim., t. 270 ; Jxo.^c. Moiinnd. PI., 83 ; 

 WoodviUe, t. 250j Steph. and C//., i. 96. 



riab — Cultivated througliout the East. The rhizome. 



Vernacular. — (Fresh) adrak, adi, (dry) South [Hind.) ; (fresh) 



Alen, (dry) Sonth {3Ia}\); (fresh) Ada, (dry) ^out {Ben (j.) ; 



(fresh) Inji, (dry) Shukkn [Tarn.) ; (fresh) Alhmi, (dry) Sonti 



{Tel.); (fresh) Hasisnnthi, (dry) Vana-simthi {Can.); (fresh) 



Adu, (dry) Sunth {Guz.) ; (fresh) Inchi, (dry) chukka [Mai.). 



History, Uses, &c. — Ginger has been cultivated in 

 India from prehistoric times ; it is a native of the East, but is 

 jiqt now known in a wild state. In Sanskrit it bears manv 



