THE TECHNOLOGIST, 



ON THE ESSENTIAL OIL OF PIMENTO FROM THE BERRY 

 AND LEAVES. 



ET DB L. Q. BOWERBANK. 



The following communication was lately addressed to the Secretary 

 of the Royal Society of Arts, Jamaica : — 



"I forward a phial of essential oil extracted from the berry of the pimento. 

 The process of extraction was this : — A handful of the spice as it is prepared 

 for market was placed in a glass retort with half a pint of water, the neck 

 of the retort luted to the receiver, and the flame of a spirit-lamp applied to 

 the retort The vapour arising, on being condensed, assumed the form of 

 a milky liquid, which, on being suffered to remain quiet, separated into 

 globules of oil, which sank to the bottom of the vessel, leaving the water 

 transparent : that being decanted, left oil. 



"Bryan Edwards, in his 'History of the West Indies,' thus notices the 

 oil of pimento: — 'It is remarkable that the leaves are equally fragrant 

 with the fruit, and, I am informed, yield on distillation a delicate 

 odoriferous oil which is commonly used in the medical dispensaries of 

 Europe for oil of cloves.' 



" There is nothing new in the fact of the pimento producing an essential 

 oil ; but at this period the attention of the public, which is now excited 

 by the consideration of the minor productions of Jamaica, may be 

 beneficially directed to this branch of profitable industry. A large 

 quantity of leaves are annually wasted while the crops of pimento are 

 being gathered. "Were it generally known and appreciated that a valuable 

 product might be cheaply and easily extracted from such portions of the 

 tree as are now suffered to remain useless, much good might result. It 



VOL. II. F 



