353 



Borneo Camphor. 



Investigations are also being carried on with Dryo- 

 balanops Camphora of the Natural Order Dipterocarpeae, 

 commonly known as the Borneo or Sumatra camphor tree, 

 from which the valuable so called Borneo Camphor is ob- 

 tained. 



This tree does not yield the true ' 1 camphor ' ' known in 

 commerce but a closely related compound known as Borneo!. 



The oil and "camphor" has not hitherto been an article 

 of commerce at home but is chiefly used by various Eastern 

 nations for ritualistic purposes and for embalming. No 

 very detailed chemical examination of the oil has so far 

 been carried out, owing to the scarcity of the oil. The oil 

 has been obtained previously by distillation of the wood 

 (age?) and by tapping the trunks. 



The crystals of " camphor " can often be seen iu 

 cavities in the wood. 



According to Watts "Commercial products of India" 

 1908, this camphor is valued by the Chinese at 40 to 80 times 

 that of ordinary camphor. An average tree (age!) is 

 said to yield 11 lbs., the older trees being the most valuable, 

 while only some 10 per cent of the trees destroyed are 

 really remunerative. 



Experiments are being carried on at present with the 

 primings from trees nine years old cultivated in the Ex- 

 perimental Plantation, Kuala Lumpur. 



J. W. Campbell, 

 Supt. Exp. Plantation. F. M. S. 

 B. J. Eaton, 

 Government Chemist, F. M. S. 



PROGRESS OF AGRICULTURE IN THE 

 FEDERATED MALAY STATES, 

 DURING 1908. 



We take the following notes from the Resident 

 General's Annual Report for 1908. 



"In his report for 1908 the Director of Agriculture 

 (Mr. J. B. Carruthers) puts the agricultural acreage of the 

 Federated Malay States at 319,722 acres which he divides 

 among the several States as under : — 



