T78 PHILIPPINE RESINS, GUMS, AND OILS 
such as the vetivenes, vetivenol, vetivenic acid, vetivenyl ace, 
tate, and similar compounds. 
Bacon * reports the results of his investigation on vetiver as 
follows: 
(1) Thirty kilos of fresh vetiver roots were distilled for two working 
days (seven hours each) with steam, the condensed water being continually 
poured back over the roots, and the oil collected in a little petroleum ether 
to effect easier separation from the water, as the vetiver oil has almost 
the same specific gravity as water. The petroleum ether was distilled in 
vacuo and there were thus separated 327 grams of a light yellow oil (1.09 
per cent) which had a very strong, pleasant odor and the following prop- 
erties: Specific gravity, = —0.9935; AS = 482.1; N or = 1.5212 sapon- 
ification number —47.4 
. « 
The roots used in the above experiment were obtained from small gardens 
about Manila and were crushed between the rollers of a sugar mill before 
being distilled. Such a crushing of the roots seems to improve the yield 
of oil. 
(2) Thirty-one kilos of fresh roots, uncrushed, on distillation as above 
gave 140 grams oil (0.3 per cent). 
(3) Six kilos of dried roots, uncrushed, gave by extraction with ligroin 
14 grams of an oil which had only a very slight vetiver odor. 
(4) Eighty-one kilos of dry moras which had been stored in jute sacks 
for about three months after harvesting, were distilled with steam with 
continuous cohobation and yielded 370 grams of oil (0.456 per cent) of an 
intense odor and brown color. This oil had the following properties: 
Specific gravity, of —0.9964; N 80" = 1.5163; EY a saponification 
fo) 
number =60.0. 
It is to be noted that this oil with a higher saponification number has a 
much stronger odor than that obtained in experiment 1 given above (sapon- 
ification number =—47.4 
(5) A plot of well-fertilized ground containing 150 square meters was 
planted with vetiver grass. In six months time the plants had flowered and 
reached maturity; they were then removed, giving 270 kilos of roots, or 
at the rate of over 18,000 kilos per crop per hectare. However, it was 
found when these roots were transferred to the laboratory, that they had 
lost most of their odor, and they gave so small a yield of oil as not to 
make it worth while to distill them. Some of these plants had been pulled 
up from time to time and tested for their oil content; they seem to contain 
the oil up to the time of flowering. 
These preliminary experiments seemed to indicate that the proper time 
for harvesting is about three months after planting, at which time, of 
course, the yield of roots is not nearly so heavy. The oil in the roots is a 
protection, and is withdrawn when the plant flowers and seeds. We have 
planted all of our vetiver by simply burying pieces of divided root tufts 
in the ground. We have as yet made no experiments on the propagation 
of the grass from the seed. It was found that the roots can very con- 

* Bacon, R. F., Philippine terpenes and essential oils, III. Philippine ¢ 
Journal of Science, Section A, Volume 4 (1909), page 119. 
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