UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



J'^^^iJ-U 



,.„ BULLETIN No. 442 



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Contribution from the Bureau of Plant Industry 

 WM. A. TAYLOR, Chief 



jrU=^'^>.r<^ 



Washington, D. C. 



PROFESSIONAL PAPER 



January 25, 1917 



POSSIBILITY OF THE COMMERCIAL PRODUCTION 

 OF LEMON-GRASS OIL IN THE UNITED STATES. 



By S. C. Hood, 

 Scientific Assistant. Drug-Plant and Poisonous-Plant Investigations. 



CONTENTS. 



Page. 



Introduction 1 



Soil and climatic requirements of lemon 



grass 2 



Propagation 3 



Fertilizers and cultivation 3 



Harvesting 4 



Distillation ti 



Varieties 



Factors affecting the yield of lemon-gi-ass oil. 

 Factors affecting the citral content of lemon- 

 grass oil 



Solubility of lemon-grass oil in alcohol 



Commercial possibilities 



Page. 



7 



INTRODUCTION. 



Lemon-grass oil is the volatile oil distilled from the plant known 

 botanically as Cym.hopogon citratus DC. and commonly called lemon 

 grass (fig. 1). It is lemon yellow to brownish in color, with a strong 

 odor resembling that of the lemon verbena, and for many years 

 has occupied a prominent place in tlie perfume industry. The value 

 of this oil depends almost entirely upon its content of citral, which 

 is used in the manufacture of ioiione, or artificial violet. Consid- 

 erable use is also found for the oil in the soap industry. 



The principal regions where lemon-grass oil is produced are the 

 Travancorc I'rovince and Madras Presidency of Inclia and the island 

 of Ceylon. Small quantities are regularly produced in other parts 

 of the East Indies, and from time to time in many other ))arts of 

 the world. 



K.xact figures aic not available regarding the consmnption of 

 lemon-grass oil in 1 h?' Inited States, but estiniiiles place it at about 

 100,000 |)oun(ls juinually. 



For the past eight years tiu^ Jiureau of J^lant Industiy has been 

 (•ondu<;ting exp(!riin(HitH in lh<! grov\'ing of lemon ginss in central 



(MhZ'J'— Bull. 442—17 



