1 62 



doubt that the people who had their attention drawn to them would 

 benefit greatly by noting the appearance of the diseases and the 

 possible results shown by the Botanic Department. 



His Excellency then went on to announce the business of the day, 

 and called upon Mr. KELWAY BAMBER to read his paper. 



Mr. Xelway Bamber's Paper. 



Mr. KELWAY Bamber said : A considerable amount of attention 

 has been given to this subject lately owing to the high price of 

 camphor now ruling, and, before discussing the method of growth 

 and cultivation, it will be as well to briefly outline what lias already 

 been done in Ceylon, with a view to its introduction as a new minor 

 product. During the year 1895, Mr. NOCK, late Superintendent of 

 the Hakgala Gardens, brought the matter to the notice of planters 

 in various parts of the Island at elevations ranging from 2,500 to 

 6,450 feet, and under all conditions of climate and rainfall, and dis- 

 tributed about 1,000 plants raised from Japanese seed. These were 

 planted out chiefly along roadsides between tea bushes, and ap- 

 parently in most cases received little or no special attention. 

 About 1900, reports from the various estates were obtained, which 

 proved that under suitable conditions of soil and climate camphor 

 would thrive at most elevations from about sea level to over 6,000 

 feet. It was found that a deep, well-drained sandy loam in shel- 

 tered situations answered best, the growth in such cases being fairly 

 rapid, the trees reaching 18' to 20' or more in five years, with a 

 spread of 8' to 12' or more and a stem 6" to 7" in diameter, this 

 comparing favourably with the growth in their native habit at in 

 hillsides and in valleys in China, Japan and Formosa, Mr. Nock, 

 in a paper on the subject in 1900, points out that the best 5-year- 

 old tree was growing at Veyangoda at 100" elevation, and where the 

 rainfall was ioo", falling on about 180 days, the height of the tree 

 was 25' with corresponding girth; the next, best was a tree at Hak- 

 galla 20' high, with a spread of 13' and a stem girth of 24". In 

 1898 experimental distillation of camphor from the leaves, shoots, 

 and wood were made by Mr. S. A. Owen, of Lindula, and Mr. 

 NOCK at Hakgala, with somewhat variable results, in some cases no 

 camphor being obtainable, although the atmosphere around the stills 

 was full of the pungent smell, while in another case Mr. OwEN ob- 

 tained camphor at the rate of 15 lbs. per ton of prunings, or 67 

 per cent. 



In May, 1900, Dr. Willis arranged for a series of distillation, to 

 be conducted by myself in Colombo, and prunings of camphor from 

 Hakgala and other districts were experimented with under varying 

 conditions, the results of which were published in a circular issued 

 \>y the Royal Botanic Gardens in November, 190 1. 



On an average about one per cent, camphor and some oil was ob- 

 tained, but the results were not always satisfactory owing to some 

 cause not clearly understood at the time. During the last 12 months 

 further experimental distillations have been made, with the results, 

 in one instance, that about 2 per cent, of camphor, with a small 



