— 89 — 



4 3 /4 d. per oz. in October to about 3 1 /* d. per oz. in December, but after- 

 ¥ wards they returned to their present level of about 4 1 /* d. per oz. It is 

 said that the stocks in India have shrunk within a small compass, and it 

 is therefore probable that for some time to come a rising market will 

 prevail. The only statistical figures available are as follows: — 



Shipments of lemongrass oil from Cochin in the period 

 between 1 st July and 31 st January. 







1911/12 



1910/11 



To 



London . . . 



. 681 



cases 



676 cases 



n 



Havre .... 



. 1343 



ii 



1158 „ 



» 



Marseilles . . 



. 3491 



ii 



1538 „ 



» 



Bremen . . . 



. 183 



11 



250 „ 



11 



Hamburg . . 



. 893 



11 



765 „ 



u 



New York. . 



. 972 



ii 



235 „ 







7563 



cases 



4622 cases 



Although the above figures only give a very approximate clue to the 

 consumption, for the size of the cases differs greatly, it is nevertheless 

 remarkable that the shipments to Havre and Marseilles far exceed those 

 to the other ports. We believe this fact to warrant the inference that 

 the present principal consumers of lemongrass oil are France and Switzer- 

 land. It will also be seen that the exports in 1911/12 have considerably 

 increased as compared with those of 1910/11. 



The Imperial Institute in London 1 ) reports on several samples of 

 lemongrass oil of different origin. The oils came from Ceylon, India, 

 Uganda, Bermuda, and Montserrat. As, with one exception, we have al- 

 ready referred to the Ceylon oils (Report April 1911, 79), a bare mention 

 may here suffice. It only needs to be added that the samples of this oil 

 described by the Imperial Institute, in common with the distillates of 

 Cymbopogon citratus previously mentioned, belong to the class of spa- 

 ringly-soluble lemongrass oils. The oils from the other localities belong 

 to the same group; an oil from Cochin alone being more readily soluble. 

 This oil the Imperial Institute classes among the "soluble" lemongrass 

 oils, although even with 90°/o alcohol it did not afford a solution which 

 remained clear when diluted. It is true that, differing in this respect from 

 ihe other oils, it gave a clear solution with 2 vols. 70% alcohol, but even 

 This solution turns turbid when more of the solvent is added. The other 

 constants of the oils are set forth in the subjoined table p. 90. 



The distillation of lemongrass oil in Uganda was undertaken at first 

 by Government, and in the year 1909/10 the export amounted to 16 603 ozs. 



l ) Bull. Imp. Inst. 9 (1911), 334. 



