337 



very low ebb, to 10 pieces per lb. and land is going out of culti- 

 vation in the grass. On the other hand, the new Java oil, men- 

 tioned last year, is selling in increasing quantities at high prices 

 (often is. $d.) It is not in reality so superior to the best Ceylon 

 oils, as the price would indicate, but it is not adulterated, and has 

 no bad reputation to contend against. 



Oil of Vetiver or Cus-cus. Andropogon muricatus, Retz., is chiefly 

 obtained from India. In this plant the leaves are scentless and 

 the roots only produce the oil. The oil which is the most viscid 

 of all essential oils is dark brown in colour and seldom exported, 

 but the roots are a regular article of commerce. The oil is used 

 in the finer perfumery. Vetiver giows very well in Singapore, 

 and perhaps might be worth cultivating. 



These three grasses as I have elsewhere pointed out may well 

 be grown for the purpose of keeping down weeds in the estate, 

 and when too high can be cut down and either distilled or used 

 merely for mulching, growing compactly as they do especially when 

 cut from time to time they prevent waste parts of the ground from 

 being covered with white weed or other troublesome weeds trom 

 growing and scattering their seeds over the plantation. (See also 

 Bulletin ist Series, No. 8, p. 23.) 



Calamus oil is derived from Acorns Calamus, L. the Derinoru of 

 the Malays, the sweet flag of Europe, belonging to the order 

 (Aracecv). It occurs here and there almost all over the world, in 

 temperate and tropical regions. It is often planted by the Malays 

 in and round the villages in damp spots, and is used in native 

 medicine. SAWER in the Odorographia says that the powdered 

 roots is used in England as a toilet powder, and in sachets, and 

 that an oil is distilled from the leaves and roots, that from the 

 leaves is preferable for toilet perfumes and aromatic vinegar. The 

 root-oil is used to improve the flavour of gin and to impart a pecu- 

 liar taste to beer. 



Oil of Zedoary {Curcuma zerumbet) is derived from the rhizome 

 of the plant known to the Malays as Temu Lawas. It is com- 

 monly cultivated and also half wild here, and is used in curries. 



Koempferia rotunda. L., the Chekor, also produces an oil, but 

 it does not appear to be used nowadays. 



Ginger oil is obtained from Zingiber officinale, Roscoe, and is 

 said to possess the aromatic odour of the rhizome, but is not 

 pungent. 



Both the Nutmeg and Mace produce oils, which are said to be 

 almost or quite identical in their properties. The Cinnamon tree 

 of Ceylon is remarkable for producing three distinct kinds of oil, 

 that of the bark, root and leaves. That of the root containing 

 camphor. The Cinnamon tree grows very well in the Straits but 

 the supply from Ceylon at present meets all demands. Cassia oil 

 is obtained from the leaves chiefly of the Chinese Cassia tree 67;/- 

 namomum Cassia, which is cultivated in China. The tree grows 

 very well in the Gardens in Singapore, attaining a large size. The 

 annual production of Cassia oil varies between two and three 

 thousand piculs. There is another Cassia bark, in Singapore, com- 



