Oi£s and Fats. 



281 



beneficial to those interested in the essential oil industry I shall feel myself sufficiently 

 recompensed for my efforts. The history of the citronella plant at present cultivated 

 is interesting, since it is shrouded in mystery. Some hold that the plant is indigen- 

 ous to Ceylon, and that it has been improved by cultivation ; by others it is thought 

 to have been introduced into Ceylon from the East Indes. There is an element of 

 truth in either view ; further I am inclined to believe that the four different varities 

 of the plant now existing and classified under the Maha pangeri and Lenabatu groups 

 are the degenerate products of the exotic variety, or the product of a eross-fertiliza- 

 between the indigenous and exotic varities. Or even it may be the indigenous variet 

 has been improved as a result of cultivation. 



The citronella plant is the Andropogon Nardus, Linnaeus, of the family 

 Graminae, and is extensively grown for the distillation of oil in the Southern Pro- 

 vince, on the declivities of hills where the soil is not by any means considered to be 

 rich. There are 4 different varieties of the plant met with in plantations. They are 

 grouped under 2 classes, the Mahapangeri and the Lenabatu. Each group has its 

 advantages and disadvantages. 



The Mahapangeri gives a large yield of oil, and a higher percentage of the 

 aromatic constituents which go to increase the value of the oil from this group of 

 plants. On the other hand its chief disadvantages are that it requires a compara- 

 tively rich soil, is not able to withstand prolonged drought aud requires greater 

 attention. Further, it has to be frequently replanted. 



The Lenabatu, though giving a smaller yield of oil, is a more hardy plant, 

 thrives in poor soil, requires very little attention and does not necessitate replanting. 

 The oil it yields contains less aromatic constituents and always obtains a lower 

 value than the oil from the other variety. 



Since the bulk of the oil in Ceylon is that obtained from the Lenabatu variety 

 of citronella, it is on account of its poor quality that Ceylon citronella oil obtains a 

 lower market value than the oil from Java and Singapore. And as long as the 

 people in Ceylon, for the sake of convenience or otherwise, prefer to grow the Lena- 

 batu, there is no likelihood of Ceylon citronella oil gaining the patronage of buyers, 

 who are keen on excellence in quality. But with the diffusion of knowledge through 

 the medium of the Ceylon Agricultural Society and the valuable aid to scientific 

 agriculture afforded by the Royal Botanic Gardens at Peradeniya, we hope it will 

 not be long before the citronella planters are made to appreciate the fact that, if 

 they want to regain Ceylon's good name, they must bid adieu to Lenabatu and 

 throw in their lot with Mahapangeri. 



Of course, this would be a serious operation, but I am sure you will 

 agree with me that to effect a radical cure a serious operation may very often 

 be found necessary. Does the end justify the means? I certainly think it does. 

 How can this change be effected is the next step to be considered in a scheme to 

 rehabilitate a once flourishing industry. This I think can only be done by apprizing 

 the people of the loss to themselves, and the industry, that has resulted from 

 their growing the bad variety of the plant, and the good that can accrue 

 if they can replace it by the better variety, Mahapangeri. In such a scheme it will 

 be necessary to establish Government plantations, where the better variety is grown 

 and from which plantations the people can buy plants at reasonable cost aud on easy 

 terms of payment, 



CULTIVATION OP CITRONELLA. 



At present, in planting Citronella rootlets, holing is done in a haphazard 

 fashion no definite distance being observed by the majority of the planters. There 

 are some who plant as much as about 40,000 plants to the acre. We have had better 

 results with 15,000 to the acre. The advantages of planting the latter number of 



