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Vetiver grass occours both in the wild state and cultivated, and 

 is much esteemed on account of its roots which are used for many 

 purposes. In the wild state it is distributed all over British India and 

 Ceylon, being chiefly found on the banks of rivers and on rich marshy 

 soil up to an elevation of 1800 feet. Occasionally it is cultivated, for 

 example in Rajputana and Chutia - Nagpur. In the Malay districts 

 vetiver only occurs cultivated or accidentally growing wild, — the same 

 applies to the West Indies, Brazil, and Reunion. It is usually cul- 

 tivated by dividing the tufts and transplanting them in a loose soil. The 

 best sort of grass is found in the neighbourhood of Tutikorin which 

 is still at the present day the most important shipping port of 

 vetiver root. The roots were used already in early times for the 

 manufacture of rugs and mats which were hung up in front of doors 

 and windows, and which in hot weather were frequently sprinkled over 

 with water and thus pleasantly cooled and perfumed the air. 



The vetiver oil prepared from the root does not appear to be 

 distilled in India itself or in the other countries with the exception of 

 Reunion, and this must probably be attributed to the difficulty of the 

 manufacture. The regular export of the roots to Europe is to all 

 appearances also of a comparatively recent date. 



12. Andropogon odoratus Lisb. The grass was discovered in 1875 

 by Dy mock in Thana. The oil contained in it has only a scientific 

 interest, as it is not produced on a large scale. Whatever is known 

 about it, is found in Gildemeister and Hoffmann's work The 

 Volatile Oils, p. 299. 



Although the foregoing, as already stated, gives only a rough outline 

 of Stapfs work, it may give an idea of the importance of Stapf's 

 researches for the knowledge of the oil-grasses. It is to be hoped 

 that the work will everywhere in interested circles receive the attention 

 to which it is entitled, so that very soon order may come in the chaos 

 prevailing the present moment in this domain. 



In our last Report 1 ) we discussed an article relating to the cit- 

 ronella oil industry of Ceylon, of which as the author's name was 

 given as A. Jayasuriya. Mr. Jayasuriya now informs us that not 

 he is the author, but Mr. B. Samaraweera, founder of the firm 

 "B. Samaraweera, essential oil producers and exporters" at Weligama, 

 in Ceylon. Mr. Jayasuriya only represented Mr. Samaraweera at 

 the Meeting of the Agricultural Society of Ceylon, and referred there 

 to his work. 



We gladly avail ourselves of this opportunity of correcting the matter, 

 but would point out that we are innocent of the error. According to 

 the two available sources in which this article was mentioned, (The 



x ) Report October 1906, 24. 



