VOLATILE OR ESSENTIAL OILS. 505 



2,467 tons of oil-cake were brought down to New Orleans from 

 the interior in 1848, and 1,032 tons in 1849. 



Seven samples of American oil-cake gave the following results: 



Oil . . 11.41 



Water . . . . . -.7.60 



Nitrogen . . . . . .4.74 



Ash 6.35 



From the above figures, the scientific farmer will see that the 

 manure formed by 100 Ibs. of oil-cake is more than that derived 

 from 300 Ibs. of Indian corn. 300 Ibs. of corn contain about 

 li Ibs. phosphoric acid ; 100 Ibs. oil-cake contain about 2| Ibs. 



VOLATILE OR ESSENTIAL OILS occur in the stems, leaves, 

 flowers and fruit of many odoriferous plants, and are procured by 

 distillation along with water. They are called " essences," and 

 contain the concentrated odor of the plant. They usually exist 

 ready-formed, but occasionally they are obtained by a kind of fer- 

 mentation, as oil of bitter almonds and oil of mustard. Some of 

 them consist of carbon and hydrogen only, as oil of turpentine, 

 from Juniperus communis ; oil of savin, from Juniperus Sdbina ; 

 oil of lemons and oranges, from the rind of the fruit ; and oil of 

 nerole, from orange flowers. A second set contain oxygen in ad- 

 dition, as oil of cinnamon, from Cinnamonum verum ; otto or attar 

 of roses, from various species of rose, especially Rosa centifolia ; 

 oil of cloves, from Caryophyllus aromaticus. 



Those principally obtained from tropical shrubs and plants are 

 citronella, oil of oranges and lemons, from the rind of the fruit 

 oil of cinnamon and cloves, croton oil, &c. 



The oil of Sandal or Sanders wood (Santalum album), grown on 

 the Malabar coast, is much esteemed as a perfume. Keora oil, 

 from Pandanus odoratissimus, in Bengal. Oil of spikenard, so 

 highly prized, on account of its perfume, by the ancients, 

 may be procured in Sagur, Nepaul, and the mountains of the 

 Himalaya. 



956 Ibs. of essential oils were imported into Hull in 1850. There 

 were exported from Ceylon in 1842, 902 cases ; in 1843, 138 ; in 

 1844, 20 ; in 1845, 25 cases of essential oils, and in the last two 

 years as follows : 



1852. 1851. 



Cinnamon oil 17 23 



Citronella oil 110 87 



Essential oil 72 35 



Of chemical, essential, and perfumed oils imported from France, 

 the quantity is about 35,000 Ibs. annually, worth 10,000. The 

 duty is Is. per Ib. "We also imported from France, in 1851, 9,596 

 cwt. of oil or spirit of turpentine, worth 14,197, on which a duty 

 of 5s. 3d. per cwt. is levied. 



From Western Australia some distilled oil of the Liptospermtim 

 was shown at the Exhibition, which it is stated may be obtained 



