— 27 - 



German Biological-Agricultural Experimental Station at Amani. At the 

 beginning of last year we received for examination another sample of 

 this oil, which resembled the first. We subsequently communicated the 

 results of our investigation to the above-mentioned Institute by letter. 

 Lommel 1 ) has now published the details of our analysis, together with 

 those received from other investigators. 



D. E. Hutchins 2 ), lately Conservator of Forests, communicates some 

 interesting information on the natural occurrence of camphor-trees in 

 German East Africa. According to this authority, the camphor-tree is 

 abundant and shows a good natural production in a forest situated in 

 the neighbourhood of Wilhelmstal and leased by a Mr. Wiese. At one 

 place in the West Usambara Mountains, for example, Hutchins counted 

 26 seedlings of camphor on 20 square yards. Their appearance, he states, 

 was more vigorous than that of the suckers which constitute 99% of the 

 reproduction in British East Africa. Unfortunately, Hutchins omits to 

 state whether the tree is botanically allied to the true camphor-tree 

 (Cinnamomum Camphora). Hutchins regards it as curious that neither the 

 botanical staff at the Imperial German Biological-Agricultural Institute at 

 Amani nor the forest officials at Wilhelmstal had recognised the tree. 



Hutchins' article deals mainly with the timber-resources of the forest, 

 to exploit which Mr. Wiese employs about 1000 natives. In the wetter 

 parts of the forest four-fifths of the timber consists of the valuable 

 outeniqua yellow-wood ("East African Kauri"). The cedar-tree, of which 

 there is an apparently inexhaustible supply, forms the principal source of 

 revenue in these forests. 



The Journal from which we take the above particulars points out 

 that, some years ago, Hutchins, on behalf of the British Colonial Office, 

 investigated the potentialities of the forests of Kenia, British East Africa, 

 and on that occasion reported on the occurrence there of the "Ibean 

 camphor-tree" 3 ) but that nothing appears to have been done since then 

 to confirm the camphor-bearing properties of that tree. 



As a result of the fall in price of natural camphor which took place 

 some time ago, the manufacture of the synthetic article of course received 

 a heavy blow. An editorial article in a French journal states 4 ) that 

 a (French?) company which controls several processes relating to the 

 manufacture of camphor has circularised its shareholders to the effect 

 that the cost of production of synthetic camphor must be kept as low 



x ) Der Pflanzer, Zeitschrift fur Land- u. Forstwirtschaft in Deutsch-Ostafrika 7 (1911), 133. 

 2 ) Agricult. Journ. Brit. East Africa. Quoted from Chemist and Druggist 79 (1911), 18. 

 8 ) Comp. Report October 1907, 26. 

 4 ) Journ. d'Agriculture tropicale 11 (1911), 156. 



