Feb. 1, 1901.] THE TROPICAL AGEICULTURIST. 
549 
CAMPEIOE, MANUFACTURE. 
Formosa. — The so-called "camphor factory"' built 
by the Goverument at the capital, Taiholiu (Taipeh) 
is the most imposing in appearance of any of 
Formoaa's industrial establishments. It consistis of 
one main bciilciing containing the distilliog apparatus 
for grade A camphor, one building equipped with 
the necessary apparatus for the extracting of camphor 
from camphor oil, a large warehouse for storing the 
drug, a packing house and nuiiieroas out-houses, iu- 
c'.udiDg barrack-like quarters for the labourers, and 
iieat little cottages for the skilled workmen, officers, 
&o., connected with the factory. The factory build- 
ings are big, solid structures of brick and stone, and 
provided with not only the latest hydraulic and steam- 
pressing machinery, but with much apparatus specially 
designed for the work. The grounds and buildings are 
illuminated by electricity supplied by the factory's 
own plant. The buildings impress one as having 
been erected with the idea o£ permanency, and the 
Formosa Government evidently hopes to control the 
camphor situatiou for many years. The preparation 
of the two grades, A and B (crude) camphor, is as 
follows : — The camphor is obtained by steaming 
camphor-wood chips in roughly built furnaces set up 
on tiie hill districts. A vapour arises from the 
steaming wood, and condenses m cooled wooden 
receptacles forming a snow-like deposit of camphor, 
containing, however, some quantity of oil. After re- 
moving the camphor from the condenser, it is 
all -wed to drain in tabs, until a considerable portion 
of the oil has run off. The camphor is then packed 
ia canvas bags, and transported to the central office 
at the capital. The camphor destined for ship- 
ment as crude is not subject to further treatment 
after leaving the country districts. For ship- 
ment it is packed by hand in zino-Iined cases, hold- 
ing about 1 pioul (133 pounds). This grade is similar in 
form to the crude camphorexported prior to the estab- 
lishment of the monopoly, although the Government 
has been able to improve it somewhat in quality. The 
carrphor for grade A blocks is treated at the factory 
described above. The plant possesses six large dis- 
tilling furnaces measuring some 24 by 12 by 5 feet, 
and lY-io crystallization chambers some 30 by 24 by 24 
feet. Several thousand pounds of the crude camphor 
are placed in one of the large iron retorts, and, after 
the openiugs in the latter have been closed and sealed, 
air is forced iu to hasten evaporation. For the first 
forty-eight hours a slow fire is maintained, which is 
sufficient, however, to drive off the water and oil, these 
passing through a pipe leading from the top of the 
retort into a tank cooled by water. The heat is now 
increased, and the above pipe having been shut off and 
a second one opened, the camphor fumes pass through 
the latter into the crystallization chamber the roof of 
which is cooled by running water. Here it crystallizes 
as flowers of camphor. The camphor is now ready for 
pressing. This is accomplished by first shaping the 
camphor into the form of a block by the use of woodea 
moulds. Tne block is then pressed by steam power, 
and, lastly, is subjected to a very high hydraulic pres- 
sure. The result is a hard, almost opaque brie of prac- 
tically pure camphor, weighing 10 km (13-j pounds). 
These blocks are now wrapped in oiled pAP'-i', and 
packed in zinc-lined boxes holding ten, and, after 
receiving the Government label of " crude camphor, 
pressed by the Formosa Government," are handed over 
to the sellirig agents. The Government factory has at 
present a yearly capacity of some 2,700,000 pounds of 
grade A. The total Formosa Government expenses, 
includi'iic; cost of camphor, are given in the Budget for 
1900 as 2,127,611 yen (|1,063,805). and the receipts aa 
3,45,5,085 ven (|1, 727, 512). This leaves a profit of 
1,327,424 yen ($663,712), or about 34 (yen $17) a picul 
(133 pounds). 'This is taking the maximum production 
for the year at 39,000 piculs (5,187,000 pounds). Some 
2,000,000 pounds of camphor are consumed in the 
United States yearly. — United States Consul ta 
Fonnosa. 
COFFEE NOTES. 
Less than live years ajjo the first coffee .seeds 
were introduced into Uganda by niishionaries. 
Now there are extensive crops under cultivation. 
Last year 100 ton.s were exported from Uganda, 
and this year tlii-i amount wiil be greatly exceeded. 
Tiie quality of Blantyre coifee is said' to be the 
best in the world, .superior even to the ianious Mo- 
cha. — Coni'iiiercial Intelligence. 
The heavy receipts of cotfee at the port ot Santos 
in Brazil are attracting attention in the trade, aa 
well they may. Notwilh.standing that tiie arrivals 
are much below the normal volume, tire total for 
the two port.s is not far below the lignres a year 
ago, when prices were at about their lowest point. 
The effect of these heavy receipts on price.s lias 1 em 
helped by the receipt of estimates pointing to a 
liberal crop of Rio and Santos coft'ce the coming 
season,— il/(?rf/i««<s' Review, October 5. 
INDIA AND FUENCH IMPORT DUTIES. 
Calcutta, Dec. 22. — A Press Communique 
issued here today by the Finance Depart- 
ment, states that the enhancement of French 
Import Duties on Indian coflee, pepjier, etc., 
has been postponed for six months, till the 
end of June, ld01.—3Iaclras Mail, Dace. 2i. 
MICA. 
The mining community is much exercised at; 
he determination of the Bengal Government 
to enforce tlie rule for the exaction of a royalty 
ot 2^ per cent) on all rough mica taken from 
the mines. The royalty clause has always been 
inserted in the leases, but liitherto it has remained 
a de,T.d letter, owing to the difficulty in deter- 
mining the precise output of tiie mines. Not long 
ego Mr. Wild, the Conservator of Forests, Bengal, 
was round inspecting the mica properties within 
the forest area with a view of settling this ques- 
tion,' and later on Mr. Grundy, the Inspector of 
Mines, made an exhaustive examination of all 
the mines now being worked and collected data 
regarding the output of rough and dressed mica, 
average value of merchantable mica etc.; and it 
is believed that his report will embody the 
opinions of the chief owners as to the manner 
iu which the royalty should be levied. The con- 
sensus of opinion is against the royalty bein^ 
levied on the gross output, since much of the 
mica that comes to the surface is thrown away 
as being useless, and it is unfair to demand royalty 
on what is of no value. The better plan would 
be to exact a royalty on all mica conveyed to the 
dressing floors. The amount and value cottld 
easily be arrived at, as it is well known that 
each raaund of rough mica yields only one third 
of a maund of drei=sed mica. The average price 
of mica (big anil small) is R60 a maund in Cal- 
cutta. The cost of dressing and tiansport may 
be set down at RlO, which would leave R50 as 
the net value of one maund of diessed, or three 
maunds ot rougli, mica at the pit's mouth. This 
would mean a royaity of 7^ per cent on each 
maund of dressed mica despatcheil from the mines. 
— Indian Agriculturist, Dec. 1. 
Burmese Government's Rubber Planta- 
tion.— The Government of Burma proposes start- 
ing shortly an extensive rubber plantation on 
King's Island, the principal island of the Mergui 
Archipelago.— fron^^•0KSf Weekly Press, Dec, 39, 
69 
