— 130 — 



gascar. It is said that the young trees number up to 25000, and 

 that they are flourishing so excellently that a considerable extension 

 of the cultivation is already contemplated. According to preliminary 

 estimates it is thought that the cost of production of the oil will be 

 fcs. 100 per kilo (!). It will be seen that, if these statements should 

 prove to be well founded,- the overproduction is making further pro- 

 gress, to the certain ultimate commercial ruin of the article. 



We have already discussed at some length in former Reports 1 ) 

 the cultivation of the plant yielding oil of ylang ylang; it will there- 

 fore suffice if we give a few facts from an article by L. Ozoux 2 ) on 

 the cultivation of ylang ylang on the island of Reunion by way of 

 completion of what we have said previously. According to Ozoux, a 

 good future harvest can only be expected when the trees are planted 

 on a sheltered place and in good soil. A tree 10 years old and 

 well -grown yields about 10 kilos of flowers annually. This is the 

 average yield throughout the island; but there are some exceptional 

 trees which produce as much as from 50 to 60 kilos of flowers yearly. 

 Even taking only one -half of the annual crop, it may be estimated 

 that the yield per year and per hectare (taking 400 trees per hectare) 

 will amount to 2 000 kilos of ylang ylang flowers, from which 20 kilos 

 oil of the first quality, or 40 kilos of the second quality (cananga oil) 

 may be distilled. It is usual in Reunion to obtain second quality 

 oil, because all the planters make the mistake of working only for 

 quantity and not for quality. 



Bacon 3 ) confirms the classification of ylang ylang oil on the basis 

 of its constants, which he published some time ago 4 ). This confirm- 

 ation rests upon the outcome of control tests made with 3 1 oils of the 

 first, and 22 of the second, quality. The limits in the constants as now 



30° 



ascertained are as follows. First grade oils: d^- 0,910 to 0,945 (mostly 

 about 0,920 to 0,930), «D3oo — 22 to — 50,8° (mostly — 40 to — 50 ), 

 n D30 o 1,4863 to 1,4944, ester no. 92 to 129 (average 104), ester no. 

 after acetylation 154 to 214 (average 182). Second grade oils: 

 d^ 0,905 to 0,925 (mostly about 0,910 to 0,915), «d30°— 3^5 to 

 — 79,3° (fluctuating very irregularly), n D30° i>49 10 to 1,5030 (mostly 

 keeping closely to the limit values) ester no. 71 to 88 (average 81), 

 ester no. after acetylation 96 to 141 (average 118). 



*) Report April 1904, 89; April 1908, 120; November 1908, 128; April 1909, 94- 



2 ) Journ. d' Agriculture tropicale 9 (1909), 131. 



3 ) Philippine Journ. of Sc. 4 (1909), A, 127. 



4 ) Philippine Journ. of Sc. 3 (1908), A, 65; Report November 1908, 130. 



