April 1907.] 



205 



Saps and Exudations- 



With the advent of extremely high prices undoubtedly the consumption has 

 falleu off considerably, and where possible the public for certain disinfecting - 

 purposes have had to fall back upon the less-esteemed napthaline, in which a large 

 business is now done- This is, of course, only natural when it is considered that the 

 wholesale price of refined bells in large quantities in the open market has been from 

 4s. to 4s. 3d. per lb. for over eighteen months. It was thought that after the Russo- 

 Japanese war there would be a fall in price, but, on the contrary, the price rose to 

 its present quotation, and at the moment the position is regarded as exceedingly 

 firm. It must not be forgotten, however, that there have been some exceedingly 

 dull periods this year, and at times the articles has almost " gone a begging," the 

 extreme prices having frightened buyers. — Chemist and Druggist. 



CAMPHOR IN CEYLON. 

 The interest which has recently been shown in the cultivation of camphor 

 by a few Ceylon planters has led Mr. E. J. Young, managing director of the Rangala 

 Co., to read a paper on that subject before the local Planters' Association. Although 

 he does not add much to our knowledge of the subject, there are one or two points 

 in his discourse worthy of comment. So far as Ceylon is concerned there is only one 

 planter (Mr. Roydon Hughes) who has been able to extract camphor in paying 

 quantities. Last year he had ten acres under camphor at a yielding stage, and the 

 produce from this area when shipped amounted to 1 cwt, only, which was sold 

 privately in Mincing Lane for 275s. per cwt. That is a price which should leave a 

 handsome profit, and is certainly an inducement for extended cultivation. Mr. 

 Young considers it necessary to have at least fifty acres under camphor in order to 

 make it a profitable business, and even 100 acres would be still better. Many planters 

 are afraid, however, of danger in over-production, and in this respect their bitter 

 experience in cinchona and cardamoms is not likely to be effaced. We believe the 

 danger is now more apparent than real. With the rise in the celluloid-industry the 

 demand for camphor has gone up by leaps and bounds, and cannot be filled ; while 

 synthetic camphor is still a problematic industry, and a dangerous one at that. 

 Under the present conditions of supply as regards crude camphor, planters need not 

 hesitate, therefore, in taking up the cultivation seriously. Their aim should be to 

 see that a product is turned out equal to the Pormosan in quality, and that camphor 

 extracted from the leaves and twigs of the plant is shipped separately from that 

 extracted from the stem. Care should also be taken in regard to packing, as damp- 

 ness affects the colour and lowers the market-value of the article. In 1895 crude 

 camphor was selling in London at 70s, per cwt, but that was when the celluloid 

 industry was in embryo. When the Japanese Government monopoly was initiated 

 the price was fixed at 178s. per cwt., so that, should there be a recurrence of the most 

 favourable conditions at some future date, it is difficult to see why values should 

 drop below that figure. It is only natural that the present price of 350s. cannot be 

 maintained, as when conditions are again normal in Formosa, and regular shipments 

 are resumed, there must be a considerable reduction. Meanwhile, so long as Formosa 

 practically remains the only source of supply, Ceylon planters may go ahead, for it 

 will take more than a generation to place on the market sufficient quantities of 

 camphor to upset the Japanese monopoly. Mr. Young in his paper points out that 

 the camphor resources of Formosa are not " boundless and inexhaustible," they have 

 disminished at least 15 per cent, in the last twenty-five years, and in the settled 

 districts the tree is practically extinct. On these points some authoritative infor- 

 mation was given in our issue of June l<j. That the Japanese are doing their 

 best to protect and promote the camphor-industry goes without saying, but this hag 

 had a beneficial effect on the broker, reliner 3 and consumer is another "story," 



