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CHAPTER Y. 



OTHER MINOR PRODUCE FROM TREES. 



Camphor is a carbohydrate of tough, crystalline nature, with 

 a characteristic scent and taste ; it evaporates at ordinary 

 temperatures. [There are two kinds of camphor, Japanese 

 and Borneo camphor, their respective compositions being 

 CioH 8 and CioH 9 ; the latter has an aliaceous odour and 

 thus may be recognised. Tr.] 



Camphor is formed in sac- like prolongations of parenchy- 

 matous cells in the sapwood and other parts of the lauraceous 

 camphor tree, Cinnamomum Camphora; the camphor also 

 accumulates in the cells of the heart wood and root- wood of 

 very old trees contain the most of this substance. Pure white 

 camphor is obtained by cutting the wood into small pieces and 

 dry distillation. Japan has the chief forests of camphor trees, 

 and by the conquest of the Island of Formosa has practically 

 a monopoly of this product ; its yearly export is about 2,500 

 tons of camphor. The dipterocarpous tree, Dnjobalanops 

 Campliora, growing in Sumatra, Borneo and the Malay Penin- 

 sula, yields Borneo camphor, nine trees producing about a cwt. 

 It is exported to Japan and China, and there used locally in 

 preference to Japanese camphor, which alone comes to Europe. 



Coniferin is a glucocid, which, by absorption of water, passes 

 over into glucose. It occurs chiefly in the sap of the carn- 

 biuin of conifers, at the end of each year's growth. By 

 oxidation, on being treated with dilute acids, coniferal-alcohol 

 is formed, and by further oxidation, Vanillin ; the latter is in 

 white, aromatic crystals, exactly resembling those derived 

 from the pods of the Vanilla plant. 



Sugar, as cane-sugar, occurs in the sap of all woody species, 

 especially during the season when the cambium is fully active. 

 Economically valuable sugar can be obtained only by wounding 

 certain species, such as maples and birches. It is not known by 



