bfiC; I, 1893.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
369 
CEYLON MANUAL OF CHEMI- 
CAL ANALYSES. 
V HANDBOOK OF ANALYSES CONNKCTEO WITH THE 
INDUSTRIES AND PUBLIC HEALTH OF CEYLON FOR 
PLANTERS, COMMERCIAL MEN, AGRICULTURAL 
STUDENTS, AND MEMBERS OF LOCAL BOARDS. 
By M. COCHRAN, m.a., f.c.s. 
( Coiiliiuicd fi-oiii paqc 29.'). > 
CHAPTER VIII. 
OILS. 
Essential oils— cinnamon oil-citeonella 
oil— citronella grass— lemon grass oil- 
INDIAN GRASS OILS— OIL OF P.VTCHOULI— 
•I'ABLE OF ESSENTIAL OILS— BURNING OILS- 
KEROSENE OIL —LUBRICATING OILS -FIXED VE- 
GETABLE OILS— COCONUT OIL-KING COCONUT 
OIL— MARGOSA OIL— CASTOR OIL— GINGELLY 
OIL -SOME FIXED OILS FROM PLANTS THAT ARE 
COMMON IN CEYLON— STANDARD ANALYSES OF 
OIL SEEDS AND OIL CAKES. 
Essenfial Oils. 
Many odour-bearing plants are fouml in Ceylon 
from the roots, Imrk, wood, leaves, or fruits, 
of which e.ssences are extracted and exporteil 
to Europe for use in pharmacy or i)erfumery. 
Amongst the best known essential oils exported 
from Ceylon may be enumerated Cinnamon oil, 
Citronella oil. Lemon grass oil, Patchouli oil 
CinnoMon Oil. 
This very fragrant oil exti acted from different 
parts of the cinnamon fAwwh—CiunamommH 
Zcylanicutn — is chieHy composed of cinnamic 
aldehyde and a hydrocarhon. Ry exposure to 
the air a portion of the cinnamic aldehyde 
CjHb 0 is converted into cinnamic acid C^H^O, 
and a portion of the hydrocarbon into a 
resinoid body, the oil becoming darker in 
color. When freshly prepared, the best quality 
is of a golden yellow color ; but by age the 
color deepens to a reddish orange. 
The specific gravity of cinnamon oils varies 
from r019 to 1-053. the Knest iniality is distilled 
from quill bark only, and has a specific gravity of 
from r019 to 1021. The quality that is more 
con)monly met with in commerce as bark oil is 
distilled from cinnamon chips, root bark and 
broken quill. Its specific gravity may reach 
1-035. A third <iuality is distilled from the 
leaves, and this has the highest specific gravity 
of all. It varies from 1 -040 to 1-053. This oil 
irs much darker in color and its perfume rnuch 
inferior to the bark oil. ^Iiiter gives the boiling 
point of cinnamon oil at 428° to 446°F. Cinnamon 
oil ranks high as an antiseptic substance. 
Citronella Oil. 
This is one of the essential oils known as 
the Indian-grass oils. It is distillel from the 
grass Aii(lri)/)0(/oi/ nmdiix of Linnains, and is 
extensively useil in perfumery, the well-known 
scent of honey soap being due to this essence. 
The grass from which the oil is distilled 
attains the height of 6 to 8 feet and contains 
much silica. Tlie color of the oil may be pale 
yellow, orange yellow r)r light green, and the 
same oil may pass through these changes of 
color in a siiort tinte. The specific gravity of 
the oil varies between wide limits. As the 
result of testing some hundreds of sami)les I 
have found the specific gravity of genuine oils 
vary from -870 to -9112. A show sanqdo exhibited 
at the Agri-Horticultural Show in Colombo in 
1891 had a much higher speijitjc gr;vity thau 
80i, but 1 Uad no opjiortunity of esamiain^j' 
it as to its purity." The low specific gravity oil 
when genuine is considered the best. Th« 
great difference in the .specific gravities is no 
doubt due to oils from different varieties of 
grass being called by the same name. Conditions 
of age of the grass, climate, and of soil, are also 
said to affect the specific gravity of the oil. 
Formerly this oil was adulterateil with coconut 
oil, more recently with kerosene oil. This last 
reduces the specific gravity of the oil ; but the 
range of specific gravity of the genuine article 
being so great, this test left a large margin for 
adulteration. Owing, however, to the di.scovery 
of a better test, the amount of adulteration 
practised has been greatly lessened. 
Besides its chief use of scenting fine soaps, 
citronella oil is also used as a preserving agent 
for books and natural history specimens, especially 
in tropical climates where these are subject to the 
ravages of insects. Like most of the essential 
oils it produces, when applieil to the skin, a 
burning sensation ; hence it is used as an external 
application, with rubbing, in rheumatic affections. 
The grass from which the oil has been ex- 
tracted is used as a feeding material ; foi 
although cattle refuse to eat the grass in its 
natural state, even calves will eat it after it 
has been mollified by the thorough steaming 
or boiling it gets in the [uocess of oil extraction. 
It would therefore be interesting to analyse it 
as a feeding material. I analysed a sample of the 
steamed and decayed grass to ascertain for . 
constituent its value as manure. The followin 
were the results obtained; — 
Analysis of Steamed and Decayed Citronella Grass 
per cent. 
Moisture expelled at 212° F. 82 68 
Dry matter . . . . 17-32 
100-00 
The dry matter had the following composition i 
per cent, 
''Organic matter 
Ash consisting of 
Silica 
Oxide of iron and alumina 
fPhosphoric acid . . 
Lime 
Potash 
Other constituents 
•Containing nitrogen 
Equal to Ammonia 
tEciual to tribasic phosphate of lime -60 
It is evident that the manurial vahi » 
this substance is small. The nitrogen is the 
chief element of value present, of which the 
dry matter contains somewhat less than three- 
fourths of the amount in coconut p(><)ruu' ; 
whereas the manure in its wet state contains 
only about two-thirds as much nitrogen as 
farmyard manure. Of the mineral ingrndienls, 
by fur the most ahuudant is silica, which 
constitutes 82 per cent of the ash or 12-31* 
per cent of the dry matter. It is possible that 
as a manure for sugar cane this silica may have a 
distinct value as l)eing no doubt more easily assimi- 
lated than the sand or mine ral silicate of the soil. 
• Citronella oil apparciicly genuine, ot specuc gia 
vity as high as •'J'2-2 is now (Nov. ISi'H) tindinj; its way 
into the niarlict. It does not pass Messrs. Schiuinjol 
it Co's. iiiodificatiou of the alcoliol test ; ncvcrtholesa 
tlic simple submitted to me was uo^ adulterated with 
keroscuc or other mineral oil uor with eoconut or 
other fatty oil. It behaved like the heavier portiou Ol 
cittou«Ua oil ifejit baa been iractionajl;- iiutill«d, 
84 09 
1-2-39 
-97 
•30 
-61 
•09 
-74 
15-01 
100-00 
2-a4 
271 
