— go — 



distillate begins to give what the workmen describe as the sound "tit- 

 tit". The sound deepens and when it becomes what they call "bul- 

 bul" they know to stop the boiling. In doing this the fire is removed, 

 cold water thrown over the lid of the cauldron, the bamboo tube 

 removed, the lid lifted, and the receiver taken out of the stream. The 

 pressure of the steam in the cauldron is at this time not inconsiderable. 



While some men with a hay-fork are removing the exhausted grass 

 from the cauldron, the master takes with a spoon the oil from off the 

 top of the water in the receiver and using a funnel of tin he separates 

 it from any water which the spoon brings up with the oil. 



In some stills lime juice is used now to help to clarify the oil. 



Three large cauldrons give about a pint and a half of oil, which 

 on standing deposits a sediment generally of a copper salt. 



All the oil of each small distillery is mixed together and carried 

 to the nearest trade centre — Ellichpur, for most of the stills examined. 



Table salt to the extent of half a pound is thrown into each 

 cauldron every few days. 



In our previous Report 1 ) we published the results of the examin- 

 ation of 8 samples of palmarosa oil and one of gingergrass oil, which 

 had also been sent to us by Mr. J. H. Burkill, of Calcutta. The oils 

 are of special interest because they had been collected by Mr. Burkill 

 during a journey of investigation through the producing districts, and 

 had partly been taken by him personally from the receivers. He has 

 now published further notes 2 ) on the results of his journey, which 

 contains much that is of interest, and which we therefore reproduce 

 briefly. The publication includes a note on the differentiation between 

 palmarosa grass and gingergrass — a question which has already 

 frequently occupied botanists, but which up to the present has not 

 been elucidated 3 ). 



Palmarosa grass (Motia) and gingergrass (Sofia) are, according to 

 Burkill's observations, doubtless different varieties of Cymbopogon Martini 

 Stapf, and in his view it is therefore quite correct to designate them 

 directly as var. Motia and var. Sofia. 



It is however not easy to distinguish them from each other, as 

 on the whole they are very much alike and their chief difference is 

 a chemical one, the oils contained in them being different. It is 

 practically impossible to notice any differences in dried specimens of 

 the grass, for which reason even so experienced a botanist as Stapf 



*) Report April 1909, 56. 



a ) J. H. Burkill, First Notes on Cymbopogon Martini Stapf. Journal of the 

 Asiatic Society of Bengal, March 1909, Vol. V, No. 3 (N. S.) From a copy 

 kindly sent to us. 



3 ) Comp. Report April 1907, 35, 57- 



