8S 



The Supplement to the Tropical Agriculturist 



The nutmeg oil contained the following sub- 

 stances : eugenol and iso-eugenol (about 0-2 per 

 cent), d-pinene and d-camphene (about 80 per 

 cent), dipentene (about 8 per cent), d-liualool, 

 d-borneol, i-terpineol and geraniol (about 6 per 

 cent), small quantities of a new alcohol which 

 on oxidation yields a diketone C8 H14 02, traces 

 of a citral-like aldehyde whose B-naphtocincho- 

 ninie acid melts at 248°, safrol (about - 6 per 

 cent), myristicin (about 4 per cont), myristic 

 acid free (about 0-3 per cont) and in small quan- 

 tity as ester; further, esteriiied, small quantities 

 of formic, acetic, butyric, and octylic acids, and 

 a new monocarboxylic acid C13 Hl8 03. 



It cannot, of course, bo claimed (and Power 

 and Sal way themselves point this out) that these 

 figures are always applicable, as they must be 

 subject to considerable lluctuations according to 

 the material employed. The very low specific 

 gravity and the exceptionally powerful rotation 

 of the oil examined by Power and Salway, point 

 to the fact that they have worked up an oil 

 which was extremely rich in terpenes; in many 

 oils of nutmeg the content of oxygenated con- 

 stituents is probably larger than indicated above. 



The portion of the oil which has hitherto been 

 designated as "myristicol," was found to be a 

 mixture of alcohols, of which terpineol appears 

 to be the principal component. 



As nutmeg possesses narcotic properties, 

 Power and Salway intend making also an exami- 

 nation of the constituents which are present in 

 addition to the essential oil. — Schimmel d: Co.'s 

 Semi-Annual Report for April. 



TEA PRODUCTION OF JAPAN EN 1 907. 



According to the investigations made by the 

 Department of Agriculture and Commerce the 

 total output of tea throughout the country 

 during last year reached 7,302,684 kwan valued 

 at 10,776,509 yen. The figures are classified 

 as follows : — 



Quantity. Value. 

 Kzvan. Yen. 

 Pearl Tea ... 75,138 384,268 



Brick Tea ... 4,944,086 9,280,478 

 Black Tea ... 24,626 46,871 



Oolong Tea .. 8,922 11,637 



Coarse Tea ... 2,249,912 1,053,055 



Total 



7,302,684 10,776,509 



-Japan Times, May 30. 



AYAPANA OIL. 



A year ago we reported on an ayapana 

 which had been distilled in the French island 

 Mayotta from " Eupatorium triplinerve" Vahl, 

 and had been submitted to us as " essence d'aya- 

 pana." In the meantime we received 



FROM CEYLON, 



where the oil, or an infusion of the leaves, is 

 employed as a remedy against bodily ailments 

 of every kind, a small quantity of leaves from 

 that plant, and in this manner were able to pro- 

 duce ourselves an authentic distillate for which 

 we determined the following constants : d!5 

 0,9806, ao + 2°55', acid no. 5,5, ester no. 5,9, 

 soluble in 1,5 and more vol. 90 per cent acohol. 



Tho yield of oil amoudtod to 1,14 percent. A 

 more detailed examination has recently been 

 published by Semmler, at whose disposal we 

 had placed the oil for the purpose. The princi- 

 pal constituent of the oil was the dimethyl ether 

 of thymohydroquinone, which had been found 

 up to the present only in oil of arnica root by 

 Sigel. — Schimmel & Vo's., Semi-Annual Report, 

 for April. 



RAMIE IN KOREA. 



Talking on the condition of industrial enter- 

 prise in Korea Viscount Sone, Deputy Re- 

 sident-General, says : " Being convinced of 

 the propects of ramie plantation in Korea I 

 experimentally caused to be planted a large 

 number of young plants along the line of the 

 Seoul-Fusan and Seoul- Wiju Railways. The 

 object of ramie planting in Korea is not 

 intended for the stuff materials of superior 

 woven fabrics as they are in Europe but it 

 will be enough if the product be fitted for 

 raw matorials of paper manufacture. It is 

 expected that the successful result of the 

 plantation will in the long run give birth 

 to a large paper-manufacturing enterprise. — 

 Japan Times, May 23. 



USEFUL JAVA FIBRES. 



The Java Government has directed inquiries 

 to be made into what fibres are produced in 

 that island useful in the textile industry and 

 in paper-making. The Department of Agricul- 

 ture are conducting an investigation to find 

 out which of these fibres are suitable for the 

 market as export articles. Three experts are 

 now busy making these researches from che- 

 mical, commercial, and scientific standpoints. 

 A fourth expert is coming out from Holland to 

 help them from the industrial point of view. 

 —Straits Times, May 26. 



A BOTANIC GARDEN IN EAST JAVA. 



We learn from Mr. M Buysman that he has 

 succeeded in establishing a botanic garden in the 

 hill country of Java, at a height of about 4,000 feet 

 above sea level. The climate is good, except that 

 the daily rainfall during the wet season (Novem- 

 ber-April) is rather trying. Most tropical plants, 

 and those from warm temperate zones, flourish 

 if they can stand damp, for the dry season is 

 tempered by the abundance of spring. Mr. 

 Buysman has already a large collection of plants 

 from all parts of the world, and it is of interest 

 to note that he finds the Cornspurry and Chick- 

 weed (Spergula arvensis and Stellaria media) 

 troublesome weeds, even under conditions so 

 foreign to their usual conditions of climate. 

 Many plants known as annuals of comparatively 

 lowly stature with us, reach, in this garden, 4 

 considerable height, and become perennial. Thus 

 Vicia Faba grows to about 7 ft., and is perennial, 

 as also is the Flax. A large number of medi- 

 cinal plants are grown, and much may be ex- 

 pected from a systematic study of their 'virtues,' 

 as many of them are held in high esteem by 

 natives, although their use is not as yet recognised 

 by Europeans. — Gardeners' Chronicle, June 6. 



