April 1, 1902.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
ments was obtained from the gardens at Peradeniya 
(1,600 feet), Hakgala (5,600 feet), and Annradhapura, 
(300 feet). 
CAMPHOR DISTILLATION. 
The first distillations were from 112 lb. of prciniugs 
received from Hakgala on the 28i:h June, 1900. These 
were conducted in a large cask fitted with a metal 
cover leading to a metal condenser, which was 
cooled by a constant fiow of water. Distillation 
was effected by means of steam from a boiler passing 
into the lower part of the cask below a perforated 
iron plate. The prunings were chopped up into frag- 
ments about 1 inch long, covered with water, the 
top, connected with the condenser, luted on, and 
ateam turned on to gradually bring the water to the 
boil. 
A strong pungent smell of camphor and euoalyptna 
came off as soon as distillation commenced, which 
persisted for some time even when the distillate was 
cooled to 50° F. a temperature below that which could 
be obtained practically. The loss was minimized by 
bringing the water to the boil very slowly, and only 
admitting just sufficient steam to keep it at the boiling 
temperature. It was found that the metal cover to the 
cask retained a good proportion of the camphor, but 
it was not so pure as when condensed in a wooden 
box similar to that in use in China and Japan. The 
purest camphor was obtained when the distillate was 
made to pass through a long glass tube surrounded 
with a jacket of cold (running) water, the crystals 
being deposited when the temperature of the glass 
did not exceed 50« 0. or 122° F., a temperature that 
could easily be maintained in a condensing apparatus 
np-country at all times of the year. In the low- 
country a more rapid flow of condensing water and 
a proportionately longer condensing apparatus would 
be required to obtain the same results, as the water 
is much warmer and the steam also is at a higher 
temperature. 
In all the experiments the camphor had almost 
entirely distilled over during the first three hours, 
as several distillations conducted for twelve hours 
and longer resulted in no better yield, and the 
smell of the camphor under these circumstances was 
contaminated with that of decomposition products 
from the nitrogenous matter, &c., in the leaves and 
twigs. Three distillations could be made in the same 
apparatus during the day. 
The amount of steam required for the distillation 
even of large quantities would be nominal, and would 
hardly be felt in an ordinary boiler working in a tea 
factory. 
YIELD OF CAMPHOR. 
The first distillation from part of the prunings ob- 
tained from Hakgala in June, 1900, only yielded '35 
Eer cent., but this was increased to '62 per cent, by 
etter regulation of the steam pressure and the con- 
densing water. The camphor had a slight smell of 
eucalyptus, and was not so strong as ordinary cam- 
phor. The leaves were quite fresh when distilled. 
Separate distillations were again made in August 
with fresh leaves and twigs, and the green branches 
of about half inch to 1 inch thick, the former yielded 
•85 per cent, camphor, but |the latter a mere trace, 
both of camphor and oil. 
7th September, IQOO.—Thtee distillations of camphor 
leaves from Peradeniya were made in the usual manner 
the yield from the first being 110 percent, of cam- 
phor and camphor oil. In the second distilation, 
when the leaves had partly dried, ]'06 per cent, of cam- 
phor and oil was obtained, calculated on the fresh 
leaves. In the third distillation the leaves had under- 
gone partial decomposition, the result of becoming 
heated to a temperature of 106° F. The yied in this 
case was '68 per cent, camphor and -38 per cent, of 
oil, so that it would appear advisable to distil the 
leaves as fresh as possible, as the oil is less valuable 
than the camphor, 
9th October 1900.— A sample of young camphor fiush 
"jyeijlhing 11? lb, pluck«d from two trees ia Hakgala, 
one 8 feet in diameter and 12 feet high, yielding 8 lb. 
and the others feet in diameter and 7 feet high, 
yielding 3k lb. This was carefully distilled in a 
copper retort over a lamp, and the vapour condensed 
in a glass vessel. In the first four hours '63 per cent 
of pure camphor was obtained, which smelled only 
of pure camphor; on further distillation '08 per 
cent, more camphor was obtained, which did not 
smell quite so pure. Heating by the direct flame 
beneath the vessel appears to take longer in remov- 
ing all the camphor than driving it over with steam 
under slight pressure. 
2M Octobei-, 1900.— A. distillation of camphor clip- 
pings from Hakgala yielded '77 per cent, camphor 
and '27 per cent. oil. 
30th October 1900.— A distillation of 12 lb. of cam- 
phor flush was made in a copper vessel with a glass 
condenser, yielded '69 per eent. camphor and "34 
per cent, camphor oil. The trees were in active 
growth when this flush was plucked. 
9th January, 1901. — A camphor tree that had become 
slightly cankered was received from Hakgala in sepa- 
rate parcels of leaves, branches, stem, and root*. 
Several distillations of the leaves and twigs were made, 
both in the fresh state and when air dried, some of 
them beicg continued for twelve hours. The yield of 
camphor and oil varied somewhat, but appeared 
to depend on the proportion of leaves to twigs, the 
latter containing much less than the former. A 
glass condenser was employed for all these distilla- 
tions, the camphor and oil being obtained quite pure. 
The first experiment yielded 875 per cent, camphor 
and '986 per cent, oil, a far larger proportion of 
oil than in any previous distillation of similar leaf. 
A second distillation, which was continued at a 
low temperature for eleven hours, yielded 108 per 
eent. pure camphor and 0 32 per cent oil. 
Five other distillations at intervals of some days 
with the air-dried leaves gave the following yields : — 
No. 1. — 2'310 per cent, camphor and 1*14 per cent, 
oil equal to 1 02 per cent, on fresh leaf. 
No. 2. — 2149 per cent, camphor and oil, equal to '98 
per cent, on fresh leaf. 
No. 3.— 2'425 per cent, camphor and traces of oil 
equal to 1'05 per cent, on fresii leaf. 
No. 4.— 2"380 per cent- camphor aad traces of oil 
equal to I'Ol per cent, on fresh leaf. 
No. 5,— 2 080 per cent, camphor and traces of oil 
equal to '96 per cent, on fresh leaf. 
From these figures it will be seen that air-drying 
the leaf before distillation does not cause any appre- 
ciable loss of camphor, though a certain amount of 
oil disappears, either by volatilization or oxidation. 
The camphor obtained from the air-dried leaf also 
had a somewhat purer smell than that from the fresh 
leaf though this latter was easily rendered pure by re- 
distillation with staem. 
Three distillations were made of the branches and 
stem of the camphor tree, but no appreciable quan> 
tity of camphor was obtained from either, nor did 
the bark of the stem appear to contain more than 
traces. The roots, however, contained an oil, 5 lb, of 
roots yieldiug 1-22 per cent. This oil was located 
mainly in the bark and in a thin layer of wood beneath 
it. It had only a slight smell of camphor, and more 
resembled a mixture of aniseed and peppermint. 
On the 7th August, 1901, 5 lb. of young flush waa 
received from Hakgala in a slightly heated condition. 
It was at once put into a copper vessel with fifteen 
pints of water, and a glass dome luted on, which waa 
connected with a glass condenser. The water was 
heated slow ly from below, and a thermometer placed 
so as to register the temperature of the Vapour 2 
inches above the water and camphor leaves. 
At 50° C. (122° FJ crystal of camphor condensed on 
the glass dome, which at 90 ° C. 194° P. were carried 
back into the water by the condensed steam. At 100* 
C. the steam and camphor vapour was passing 
rapidly into the glass condenser, while the leaves 
were covered with oily drops of camphgr ap^ oil. 
