Trade in 

 Rusa. 



CYMBOPOGON 



RUSA OIL NARDUS 



Citronella 



ami other-, tell us that it is redistilled in Paris, and in Turkev is subjected 

 a special treatment which appears to render it more fit to mix with 

 t/<i of roses without l>etrayim_' its odour ; this counts in shaking it 

 ,ith water acidulated with lemon-juice, and then exposing it to the sun 

 and air. Bv this process it loses its penetrating after smell and ac<p, 

 a pale straw colour. This was originally explained by Mr. Baur of Con- 

 stantinople. It may, in fact, be said that the traffic in palmarosa oil 

 is verv nearlv entirely for the production of cheap atta of roses, and hence 

 purchasers of that article require to deal with firms that will give 

 a guarantee of its purity, should they desire to possess the expensive attn 



is. [Cf. Gildemeister and Hoffmann, I.e. 433-5.] 

 Indian Trade In Rusa. It has already been stated that the traffic in 

 this oil is mainly to Europe and from Bombay. Formerly it was shipped 

 Red Sea ports and conveyed by land-routes, mostly via Cairo to Con- 

 mtinople and thence to Europe. Hence it came to bear the absurd name 

 (now happily discontinued) of " Turkish Geranium Oil." It is nowadays 

 shipped direct from Bombay to Europe, but in Bombay it is assorted and 

 leposited within large tins or copper vessels of 100 to 200 Ib. capacity, 

 lese are surrounded by a network of ropes, but are not placed within 

 )xes. It has been estimated by Mr. Bhote and others that the annual 



arts from Bombay come to something like 50,000 Ib. In the modern Exports, 

 trade Ellichpur in Berar has become one of the chief towns of Northern 

 idia, from which Bombay draws its supplies. But that estimate must 

 fery possibly refer to the produce of Bombay and the Central Provinces 

 ilone, since the actual exports in 1902-3 were returned at 1 25,595 Ib. The 

 lifference is possibly a direct evidence of the immense supplies being 

 lowadays derived from South India. Of these exports, France, Germany, countries to 

 le United Kingdom and the United States are the receiving countries, whic 

 lentioned in order of importance. 



The value of the essential oils exported from Bombay (chiefly rusa oil) Prices. 

 ?&B returned as follows : 1899-1900, Rs. 2.78,005 ; 1900-1, Rs. 3,41,670 ; 

 L901-2, Rs. 6,10,783 ; 1903-4, Rs. 5,38,774 ; 1906-7, Rs. 3,19,949. At 

 the prices presently ruling, palmarosa oil is sold wholesale at 3s. 9d. a 

 jund, and ginger-grass oil at 2s. 3d. 



C. Nardus, Rendle, Welw. Cat. African PL, ii., pt. i., 155 ; Stapf, D.E.P., 

 lew Bull., 314-8, 354-5 ; Andropogon Nardus, Linn., Fl. Br. Ind., vii., *> 247-9. 



As recognised by modern botanists this is a protean species, since it 

 been made to embrace some ten varieites. Stapf has, however, come 

 the conclusion that it is perhaps more expedient to treat the follow- 

 ing as distinct forms : C. Nardus, Rendle, C. conferfi/forns, Stapf, 



KUOBUft, Stapf, and C. cAtratiis, Stapf. For the purpose of this Associated 

 srork it would seem sufficient to group them together, treating the first 

 as more especially the commercial plant. Thus constituted it occurs 

 throughout the hotter parts of India, Burma, the Malay Peninsula and 

 Ceylon, and is distributed to tropical Asia, Africa and Australia. But it 

 would almost seem as if some at least of the better-known oil-yielding 

 forms had (as cultivated plants) originated in the Malaya, since even in 

 Ceylon citronella is admitted to be different from the undoubted indigenous 

 stock. In India no form of C. Nardna (other than the allied C. fit rat us) 

 existed until quite recently in a state of systematic cultivation. In any 



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