July, 1911.] 



11 



Oils and Fats, 



On a previous occasion * we have 

 given full details (taken from an article 

 by Cayla) on the experiments by Eaton 

 and Oampbellt in the introduction of 

 the cultivation of the camphor tree in 

 the Federated Malay States. We there- 

 fore refer to the original publication 

 for details, especially in respect of the 

 plantations and the distilliug-practice. 



Apparently the Japanese have been 

 seriously alarmedj by the report that 

 it is intended to lay down extensive 

 camphor plantations in the " Southern 

 States of America" (probably meaning! 

 the Southern United) and fears are 

 again entertained as to the continuance 

 of the Japanese Monopoly. But, as if 

 to dissipate these fears, it is also report- 

 ed that the two new Japanese celluloid 

 works would be able, in the eveut of 

 their favourable further development, 

 to absorb the entire Japanese camphor 

 production. It is to be added, however, 

 that the informant from whom the 

 American paper quotes this news is 

 himself doubtful whether the works in 

 question will be able permanently to 

 carry on their business at a profit. 



R. T. Baker§ the well-known Bot- 

 anist, has read a paper at Sydney on the 

 native camphor trees of Australia. 

 According to Baker the species of the 

 genus Cinnamomum which have so far 

 been recorded in Australia, are endemic, 

 and not identicalwith any Indian species, 

 as maintained by some systematists. 

 Baker not only founds his classification 

 upon morphological indications, but also 

 ou the anatomy of the bark and on the 

 chemistry of the timber and of the oils ob- 

 tained from the leaves and bark. Baker 

 has found that similar to a plan advanc- 

 ed by himself and Smith II many years 

 ago for the different Eucalyptus species, 

 a certain agreement exists between the 

 venation of the leaves and the chemical 

 constitution of the essential oil of the 

 leaves. This fact enables the oil-distiller, 

 by the simple experiment of observing 

 the disposition of the veins, to ascertain 

 what class of oil can be obtained from 

 them, and it is therefore of considerable 

 practical importance, especially since the 

 phellandrene oils of the eucalyptus have 

 recently found employment on a con- 

 siderable scale in the treatment of refrac- 



* Preliminary Notes on the Preparation of 

 Camphor in the Federated Malay States Agri- 

 cultural Bulletin of the S. and F.M.S., August 

 1909. From a reprint kindly sent to us. 



t Keport April 1910, 27. 



X Oriental Physician and Druggist 4 (1910), 

 No. 36 p. 7. 



§ From a private communication kindly made 

 to us by the Author. 

 || Comp. the report April 1902, 41. 



tory ores *, The presence of phelland- 

 rene in oil from the leaves is indicated 

 by the very oblique lateral venation of 

 the leaf. It has been ascertained that of 

 the Cinnamomum species which have so 

 far been investigated in Europe and 

 Australia those which contain camphor 

 have penniveined leaves, while leaves 

 with a tri-nerved venation yield a cam- 

 phor-free oil. TheJ importance of this 

 difference is evident. In its Cinnamo- 

 mum trees Australia possesses a native 

 source of camphor which as yet remains 

 unexploited. Prom the leaves of C. 

 OHverin high camphor-yield has been 

 obtained, and camphor is also present in 

 the wood, but the oil distilled from the 

 bark still awaits examination. C- Lau- 

 batii, a species little known at present, 

 and a few other species also appear to be 

 camphoraceous. As a result of the in- 

 vestigation, so far as it has gone, Cinna- 

 momum trees have been planted on the 

 North Coast with the object of utilising 

 them for oil and camphor-production. 



The discovery of camphor as a consti- 

 tuent of an Australian oil was made by 

 M. Scott in the course of the examina- 

 tion of a sassafras oil from the Colony 

 of Victoria. 



C1TRONELLA OIL. 



Semi-Annual Report op 

 Schimmel & Co. 



(Fritzsche Brothers, London and New 

 York, April, 1911.) 



Since our October report the prices of 

 Ceylon citronella oil have slowly but 

 steadily declined, until towards the end 

 of January they reached their lowest 

 level at lOJd. cif, London ; since then 

 they have remained unchanged with a 

 rather lifeless tendency. 



The shipments from Galle during the 

 past year again established a record, the 

 figures being as follows : — 



1,747,934 lbs. in 1910, 

 Compared with 1,512,034 ,, „ 1909, 

 „ 1,276,965 „ „ 1908. 



In 1910 therefore there has again been 

 an increase of over 235,000 lbs. Although 

 this fact might sufficiently explain the 

 quiet state of the article, we may never- 

 theless mention that the exports from 

 1st January to 20th February 1911 only 

 reached 176,430 lbs., compared with 

 359,377 lbs. in the same period of 1910. 

 We have therefore to reckon with a 

 decreased export of about 183,000 lbs. 

 in the first six weeks of 1911, although it 



* Comp, the present Report, p. 39. 



