Commercial and scientific notes on essential oils. 11 



to explore the camphor forests. It is hoped that in at least three years the gathering 

 of camphor will be resumed also in that country. 



Since 1916 the Japanese Government, which has made the camphor production in 

 japan a monopoly, has been striving to work the total crops up in the country itself 

 and to permit only the export of refined camphor. The administration of this mono- 

 poly has decided to supply to foreign refineries, instead of crude camphor, only certain 

 definite quantities of refined camphor through the Nippon Camphor Refining Company 

 at prices which are 10 per cent, below the market price. The following figures will 

 show, that this restriction does not appear to have been enforced in all cases. In the 

 year 1919, 1.42 million pounds of crude camphor (by comparison with 2.5 million 

 pounds before the war) are still said to have been exported to America 1 ). In the first 

 three months of 1920, 100000 kin were assigned to Great Britain and 42000 kin to 

 France, in both cases of BB-camphor, whilst only 25000 kin of crude B-camphor were 

 sent to America 2 ). 



Since in spite of the diminishing exports the needs of the Japanese industry could 

 no longer be satisfied within the last two years, the allowance of camphor to celluloid 

 factories was also rationed. Several firms which, during the war had been engaged 

 in the production of war material and which had extended their establishments, were in 

 consequence obliged to limit their production considerably. Of the camphor refineries, 

 which were founded in the years 1917 and 1918, the Formosa Camphor Refining Com- 

 pany was said to consume l 1 /* million pounds, and the Nippon Camphor Refining Co. 

 even 6 1 /* million pounds of camphor, per year. 



According to a paragraph in the Industrie- und Handelszeitung 5 ) the camphor 

 production in Japan has, thanks to the measures taken by the Japanese Camphor Office, 

 risen in the year 1919 to nearly 6.7 million pounds. Of these Formosa supplied about 

 5.7 million. In the year previous only half as much camphor had been produced. 



As regards the camphor production of China we gave some figures in last year's 

 Report, on page 11. According to the Yakugyo-Shuho 41 ), 350000 kin of camphor were 

 produced in 1919 in the province of Kiangsi, and further 300000 kin of camphor oil. 

 For 1920 a yield of only 250000 kin of camphor oil was reckoned upon. Most of 

 this camphor goes to the factories in Shanghai. 



The English journal, from which we quote, also brings some statements, the critique 

 of which we leave to our readers. Thus it is said that the distillate of the leaves of 

 the camphor tree had been contaminated with large portions of resin and chlorophyll. 

 Further — in speaking of the synthetic preparation of camphor from oil of turpentine — 

 "it is much to be regretted that they cut down the trees in France 5 ) in order to gain 

 the turpentine". Finally the remark is not missing that the Germans were responsible 

 even for this deficiency of camphor from which the world is now suffering. 



The stocks of camphor and of camphor oil in Foochow, which were in June 1920 

 in the hands of the traders, were estimated at 80000 and 40000 lbs., whilst the 

 Government Camphor Office had stored some 27000 lbs. of camphor. Owing to 

 the want of enquiries from Hongkong and to the difficulties of manufacture and of 

 transport, the camphor price fell from 200 tael to 98 tael per picul (1 picul = 60.453 kg.), 



l ) Ind. h. Handelsztg. No. 35 of 11. II. 1921, supplement. — 2 ) Ibid. No. 252 of 5. XL 1920, supplement. 

 — *> Ibid. No. 35 of 11. II. 1921, supplement. — *) Chemist and Druggist 93 (1920), 1310. — 5 ) In France 

 turpentine is obtained by a special tapping process (Gemmage a vie and Gemmage a mort). Cf. Gildemeister 

 and Hoffmann, The Volatile Oils, 2 nd ed., vol. II, p. 72. 



