PERFUME- YIELDING GRASSES 



CYMBOPOGON 



NARDUS 

 Lemon-grass Oil 



Rohst. des Pflanzenr., 1903, ii., 577, etc.] But while the greatest possible 

 obscurity has prevailed as to the botany of the Indian lemon-grass oil 

 plant, the chemical identity of the oil has been fully established. It was 

 first made known in 1888 that the most interesting feature of lemon-grass 

 oil was the large percentage of Citral that it contained. This has been 

 variously stated at from 70 to 80 per cent., and inferior or adulterated 

 samples 40 to 50 per cent. It is employed in the manufacture of artificial 

 perfumes such as the violet known as lonone, and like all the other grass 

 oils is utilised mainly in perfuming soaps. The demand for lemon-grass 

 oil has increased with surprising rapidity, and given to South India a new 

 industry of considerable promise. The Travancore area may be described 

 as the slopes of the mountains to the north of Anjengo, close to Quilon. 

 It would now appear the plant is both wild and cultivated. The hillsides 

 are said to be fired in January to burn down the old and useless grass. 

 Six months later the fresh crop is ready to be cut : by that time the country- 

 side becomes dotted all over with furnaces and stills. During July, August, 

 September and October operations are continuously maintained, but 

 there would appear to be no second crop. Speaking of the more recent 

 Cochin industry, various public newspapers have afforded a few particulars. 

 Mention is made, for example, of Mr. Barton Wright having leased large 

 tracts of lemon-grass land in Waluvanad and Ernad of Malabar and built 

 a distillery on the most improved plan. The Moplahs are said to recognise 

 twenty-seven forms of the wild plant, of which five only are of commercial 

 value and one is cultivated and never flowers. The wild plants are of 

 necessity forms allied to C. Nardus. Whether they all yield the same oil 

 is doubtful, the more so since the allied form of C. Nardus all yield per- 

 fectly distinct oils. 



Indian Trade in Lemon-grass OIL In recent returns we read of a 

 new trade in rusa oil from South India to Bombay. As already ex- 

 plained, that is distilled from a wild plant, possibly C. Martini, var. 

 polyneuros, and unless it be used as an adulterant is perfectly 

 distinct from the lemon-grass. Schimmel & Co. (Semi-Ann. Rept., 

 May 1903, 42), speaking of the lemon-grass oil, say, " It may be taken 

 for granted that this new source of supply will in future form a strong 

 competitor, and. that the prices will permanently remain low, which 

 would promote the consumption. At the present values the article 

 will have all the more interest for the soap manufacturers, as the parcels 

 which have appeared on the market were chiefly of such a fine quality as 

 had not been met with last year." It would thus seem certain that the 

 aromatic grasses of South India (like those of Ceylon) yield at least two 

 perfectly distinct oils rusa and lemon, and that the traffic in lemon- 

 grass has become an important one. This may be indicated by the fact 

 that the wholesale price has increased from about 2s. a pound in 1891 

 to 9s. 6d. (7%d. per ounce) in 1904. The chief commercial centre is 

 said to be Trivandrum, and the exports are made from Cochin and Quilon. 

 In 1891-2 these came to 1,450 cases, in 1896-7 to 3,000 cases ; the subse- 

 quent years were as follows .-1899-1900, 2,792 cases ; 1900-1, 1,933 ; 

 1901-2, 2,322 cases ; and in 1902-3, 2,807 cases. But according to local 

 reports the outturn of the last-mentioned year came to something like 5,000 

 cases, each containing twelve bottles of 24-oz. capacity. The statement 

 is frequently made that the price paid for this oil has been forced up to an 

 extent that greatly interferes with increasing demands. 



458 



Chief 

 Constituent. 



Artificial 

 Perfumes. 



Perfumed Soap. 



Wild and 

 Cultivated 



Cochin. 



Wild Forms. 



Trade. 



Two Distinct 

 Oils. 



Price. 



Trivandrum. 



