April  t,  1893.] 
THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST, 
661 
SCENT  PRODUCING  IN  INDIA. 
Some  time  ago  attention  was  directed  by  a con- 
temporary whose  columns  are  devoted  entirely  to 
agricultural  subjects  to  the  production  of  indigenous 
oils  and  essences  from  the  resources  of  India;  but 
despite  the  floral  wealth  of  the  country,  there  is  but 
a limited  assortment  of  scented  shrubs  at  the  disposal 
of  those  who  would  wish  to  attempt  the  manufacture  of 
scents.  It  would  be  as  well,  therefore,  if  attention 
were  directed  to  the  introduction  of  suitable  plants 
and  herbs  that  should  give  us  pure  scents,  so 
necessary  in  the  plains  of  India  during  the  hot 
weather  and  rains.  The  purely  Indian  perfumes, 
such  as  attar  of  roses,  jasmine  and  other  plants,  are 
too  over-powering  for  most  tastes,  even  when  freely 
diluted,  while  their  extreme  unctuousness  renders 
their  application  to  the  clothes  or  handkerchief  out 
of  the  question.  In  1851  Dr.  T.  Oldham  of  the  Geo- 
logical Survey  recommended  the  distillation  of  orange 
flower  water  from  the  groves  of  that  fruit  in  the 
neighbourhood  of  Sylhet,  and,  though  this  matter 
was  reventilated  last  spring,  no  one  seems  to  have 
deemed  it  worth  while  essaying,  though  there  can 
be  little  doubt  the  local  demand  would,  in  the  summer 
months,  be  enormous,  and  a censiderable  export 
trade,  outside  Bengal,  might  reasonably  be  anticipated. 
So  overdone  has  been  the  planting  of  the  orange 
tree  in  the  district  alluded  to  that  the  blossom  is 
but  of  nominal  value.  It  is  just  as  well  to  mention 
that  mechanical  means  of  gathering  the  flowers  would 
have  to  be  restored  to,  the  formidable  spikes  and 
dense  growth  of  the  tree  precluding  any  possibility 
of  climbing : but  that  is  a mere  trifle  and  half  a 
dozen  contrivances  are  now  availably  for  gathering 
both  fruit  and  flower  at  considerable  heights  from 
the  ground  that  no  difficulty  should  be  encountered 
in  the  collection.  There  are^certainly,  a few  orchids 
that  give  out  a fragrance,^sucn  as  Dendrobium  formo- 
sum,  but  it  is  far  too  faint  and  delicate  for  general 
purposes.  Moreover,  ,£hese  plants  do  not  exist  in 
large  enough  quatities  or  sufficiently  concentrated 
areas  to  render  theft  use  scent  producers  feasible. 
While  most  of  the  more  prolific  plants  of  this  order, 
such  as  Saccolabithni,  are  inodorous,  Mrides  odoratar, 
though  plentiful  in  North  Burmah  and  the  adjacent 
countries,  would  be  needed  in  very  large  quantities, 
to  furnish  any  appreciable  amount  of  scent  either 
by  maceration  «r  distillation. 
We  have,  therefore,  to  consider  what  would  be 
the  best  scent  producing  plants  and  shrubs  to  im- 
port, which  flight  be  expected  to  have  a reasonable 
chance  of  success  in  providing  the  raw  material  for 
the  manufacture  of  what  may  be  considered  a 
necessity  ih  this  climate  from  April  till  September. 
Lavender  fend  violets,  with  other  strongly  scented 
flowers,  wall  grow  luxuriantly  in  all  the  hill  tracts 
of  Indiay^but  though  shewing  greater  vigor  under 
the  brilktant  tropical  sunlight  of  the  more  southern 
mountain  ranges,  as  far  as  growth  goes,  will  be  found 
far  more ' deficient  in  scent  than  their  congeners 
grown  i/h  the  semi-tropical  and  more  temperate 
(latitudes.  Both  plants,  we  have  adduced 
ir  perfume  producers,  are  sub-tropical  in 
sough  from  their  hardiness  have  been  aooli- 
in  countries  one  would  have  thought  to 
tot  the  slightest  hopes  of  their  thriving  in  ; 
itter  in  the  wrong  place  ” is  as  much  the 
botany  as  geology.  Suitable  tracts  for  the 
ion  of  all  plants  are  best  indicated  by 
on  ot  Tie  indigenous  flora,  and  wherever 
found  at  all  approaching  that  of  Europe, 
le  hopes  of  success  in  the  introduction  of 
plants  named  may  be  anticipated.  Now  as 
; indicated  extends  all  through  the  outer 
as,  it  will  be  seen  over  what  a vast  field 
iducing  plants  may  be  propagated  for,  though 
■ mcuwuuing  lavender  and  violet  as  examples,  there 
/ are  others  whose  introduction  will  readily  suggest 
themselves  to  any  one  acquainted  with  Southern 
European  botany.  Of  course  there  are  extracts, 
tinctures,  and  essences  to  be  had  from  many  Indian 
plants,  but  as  these  partake  more  of  purely  commercial 
character  we  leave  them  unnoticed,  our  present  re- 
marks being  directed  more  in  the  hopes  of  reviving 
the  glories  of  the  still  rooms  of  our  great  grand- 
mothers than  actual  trading  for  whatever  the  present 
profits  may  be  on  scent,  the  [rice  is  so  small  and 
the  trade  so  restricte  l that  were  our  suggestions 
taken  up  by  energetic  people  we  might  look  for 
overproduction  in  the  near  future,  but  overproduction 
of  cooling  perfumes  in  India  most  people  would 
look  upon  as  a boon,  the  demand  growing  with  the 
supply.  If  any  one  cares  to  study  the  question  it 
will  at  once  be  apparent  that  no  El  Dorado  need  be 
expected  from  the  manufacture  of  Indian  perfumes 
though  their  concoction  would  afford  occupation  for 
pensioners  and  others,  who  may  be  inclined  to  settle 
in  the  more  salubrious  of  our  Indian  hill  ranges. 
With  regard  to  lavender  the  demand  would  be  al- 
most unlimited  even  in  the  state  in  which  it  is 
usully  hawked  about  the  streets  at  home,  and  though 
it  possesses  no  qualities  of  such  insecticides  as 
camphor  or  datura,  the  scent  it  imparts  to  linen  or 
clothing  is  far  preferable  to  either.  Extracting  scent 
from  violets  or  other  flowers  is  best  accomplished 
by  maceration  in  clean  animal  fat,  in  conjunction 
with  alcohol,  the  process  being  fully  explained  in 
the  columns  of  our  contemporary  the  Indian  Agri- 
culturist about  a year  since ; and  lavender  water, 
when  required  in  a highly  concentrated  form,  may 
be  obtained  in  the  same  way,  though  as  quantity 
would  be  mostly  sought  for  in  the  hot  weather, 
the  usual  plan  of  obtaining  the  scent  by  distillation 
had  better  be  adhered  to.  The  necessary  spirit  for 
maceration  can  be  made  from  so  many  different 
sources  that  this  detail  is  hardly  worth  dwelling 
upon.  Even  the  imported  white  alcohol  from  the 
low  countries  and  German  ports— generally  denomi- 
nated “potatoe  spirit” — is  so  cheap  that  it  might  be 
used  for  maceration  either  rectified  or  in  the  state  it 
reaches  us,  though  many  indigenous  tubers  and  roots 
could  furnish  spirit  for  the  purpose  of  superior  qua- 
lity. In  connection  with  this  matter  it  might  be  as 
well  to  ascertain  how  far  the  “cherry,”  from  the 
fiuit  of  our  coffee  plants,  is  capable  of  meeting 
requirements  in  this  line,  for  it  would  be  far  prefer- 
able to  obtain  what  we  need  from  a waste  product 
than  from  edible  roots,  grain  or  tubers.  The  subject 
of  manufacturing  these  luxuries  from  our  own  inter- 
nal resources  is  one  of  considerable  interest  in  the 
present  days  of  depreciated  currency,  and  there 
cannot  be  two  opinions  as  to  the  advantages  of 
obtaining  such  matters  we  write  of,  fresh  and  un- 
adulterated, for  few  will  deny  that  the  bazaars  teem 
with  scents  and  waters  that  have  been  so  long  on 
the  shelves  as  to  px-ove  next  to  useless  when  opened. 
— Asian. 
COFFEE  AND  COCONUTS  IN  BRITISH 
NORTH  BORNEO. 
Mr.  Hy.  Walker  writing  to  Mr.  W.  D.  Gibbon  says:— 
“1  visited  Toritipan  on  the  2nd  Feb.  and  found  GGaores 
planted  with  coffee,  15  with  coconuts.  The  older  coffee 
was  planted  in  Jan.  1892,  and  in  Jan.  1893  there  were 
a few  spikes  of  blossom.  I am  glad  to  say  the  young 
coffee  is  looking  remarkably  well,  the  older  trees  are 
about  3 ft.  to  3 ft.  6 in.  bushy  and  sturdy,  all  the 
plants  are  healthy  and  strong  and  I have  no  doubt 
the  estate  will  do  well.  The  manager  (Mr.  T.  J.)  is 
very  sanguine  about  ooffoe  and  is  now  felling  40  acres 
for  June  planting.  Mr.  J.  is  known  in  Ceylon,  he 
was  a pioneer  tobaoco  planter  under  my  old  friend 
M.  ou  the  Mahaweliganga  but  after  three  months 
he  resigned  and  returned  to  Sumatra.  Tobacco 
planting  brought  him  to  our  territory,  but  the  estate 
having  olosed  I induoed  him  to  take  up  coffee  and  I 
do  not  think  he  will  regret  it.  Mr.  J„  while  planting 
tobaoco,  put  in  16  aores  of  coffee  which  is  now  3 years 
old  and  is  bearing  very  heavily.  So  far  we  have  every 
reason  to  congratulate  ourselves  upon  the  success  of 
ooffee  in  North  Borneo.  Our  coconuts  are  doing  well 
and  I have  not  the  slightest  doubt  about  their  paying. 
I do  not  suppose  there  are  10,000  trees  in  North  Borneo, 
and  we  have  to  import  nuts  for  domestic  use,  aud  pay 
4 to  8 dollar  cents  for  nuts.  How  would  you  like  to 
pay  such  a price  in  Ceylon  1” 
