OcroBSR I, 1891.1 THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST, 
273 
in tins or sometimes in huge cisterns, waighing half 
a ton. It was in these large packages that adulter- 
ation with petroleum had chiefly been found. 
Mr. Moss remarked that it did not necessarily 
follow that the mode of manufacture was altered, 
because at the present time both green and colour- 
less citronella oil came into the market, the differ- 
ence being due to the different nature of the ap- 
paratus in which it was produced. If this apparatus 
were a very primitive one, a tub, n clay head, and 
a bamboo atem, there would be no trace of copper, 
but with a more modern still, if the copper were 
not well tinned inside, there might be the green 
colour. 
The President said he was rather suggesting that 
the petroleum might be put into the still primarily to 
prevent oxidation or change during the process of 
distillation. 
Mr. C. Umney said his belief was that the 
petroleum was added because it was cheap. 
IVTr. BcTTLE said he [had been rather struck with the 
statement in the paper that citronella oil with distinct 
traces of petroleum <iid not show the copper colour, 
and he might state the result of an experiment — 
accidentally made — which he witnessed at Dover on 
the previous day. A child was coming out of an 
oilshop with a wine bottle containing about a pint 
of petroleum oil, when, owing probably to the neck 
not having been wiped, the bottle slipped from the 
child's fiugers and was smashed on the pavement. 
At that moment he was about twenty yards off, and 
by the time he got to the spot, he found to his 
surprise that the petroleum oil was rapidly turning 
a greenish blue wherever it came into contact with 
the cement with which the pavement — blocks of 
patent Victoria stone, about two feet square — was 
laid ; it was evidently the cement and not the stone 
which was giving the colour. He was inclined to 
think at first that this was an indication that the 
petroleum had been distilled in copper, and was 
rather surprised to hear Mr. Umney's remarks. 
When he returned home he should take steps to as- 
certain the composition of the cement in question. 
Mr. .J. C. Umney, in reply, said Mr. Moss had 
remarked that some commercial oil of citronella was 
yellow, rather implying that it contained no copper 
and would not turn green; but he might say that he 
procured eight samples from different sources, out 
of which seven went green, though five of them 
were quite yellow at starting. He thought the reason 
that the light oil did not change colour was that 
it had been distilled by poor people, and that petro- 
leum Imd been i.dded, oeing cheaper, to increase 
the yield. Eicher people using more modern appli- 
ances got a full yield and had no need to adulterate. 
The sp. gr. of the oil in America was stated in a 
recent paper by a Mr Dodge to be '877, which was 
rather a peculiar statement, and might account for 
some of the analyses. 
The President then proposed a vote of thanks to 
Mr. Umney for the paper, referring to the fact that 
he had been a pupil in the School of Pharmacy 
and was then working in the Kesearch Laboratory. 
The vote was passed unanimously. 
Sir, — 1 have perused with much interest the paper 
on " Commercial Oil of Citronella, " read before the 
last evening meeting by Mr. J. C. Umney. Some years 
since I had occasion to conduct some experiments on 
citronella oil with the same object in view, and as my 
results pointed in some respects to slightly different 
conclusions from those arrived at by Mr. J. C. Umney, 
it may be useful to record them now that the subject 
is under notice. 
Two samples of oil were operated upon : one a new 
one from an original bottle, the other an old one. 
Tlie former, was pale yellow, whilst the latter was 
green. Two bottles filled with the first sample and 
hermetically sealed were placed, one in sunlight the 
other in darkness. Two other bottles were half filled 
and the stoppers removed dailv after well shaking ; 
one of those was exposed to sunlight whilst the other 
was kept iu ilarluieaa 
■65 
The two samples which were in the full bottles 
remained unchanged in colour for the month whilst 
xmder observation, but of those in the partly filled bot- 
tles the one exposed to light had become green, and 
the one in darkness also, though not to quite the same 
extent. An elevation of temperature was afterwards 
found to accelerate the change. 
The other sample was next operated upon. A por- 
tion was distilled from a fractionating flask and the 
distillate was set aside in succeesive portions and 
exposed in partly full bottles. The first three por- 
tions of distillate did not change in colour, but the 
last one slowly acquired the green tint of the original. 
The small portion o f residue in the flask and the 
last distillate were both found to contain copper. 
The foregoing seem to indicate that the develop- 
ment of the green colour in those samples containing 
copper is caused not by the action of light, as assumed 
by Mr. J. C. Umney, but by oxidation.— B. H_ Farr, 
Uckfield. — I'Jiarmaceutical Journal, April 18th. 
CROPS IN SOUTHERN INDIA. 
Season Telegram to the Goverment op India, 
Eevenub and AaKicuLTUBAii Department, Simla. 
Week ending 5th September. Rainfall good in Gan" 
jam, Vizagapatam, Godavari, Kurnool, Ananfapur, Cud- 
danab, South Canaraand parts of Kistna, Nellore, Bel- 
lary, North Arcot, Uhingleput, South Arcot, Malabar 
and Nilgiris ; very little elsewhere. Rainfall to date 
very much below average in all districts, except the 
three northern and the West Coast districts, Tinnevelly 
and Nilgiris. Prospect slightly improved in parts of 
Chinglepnt and South Arcot, but more rain urgently 
wanted iu a large number of distriots, and agricul- 
tural operations suspended in several. Water, pasture 
and fodder growing scarcer and cattle mortality in- 
creasing in affected areas. Prices rieing in Godavari, 
Knrnool, Auantapur, Ouddapab, North Arcot, South 
Arcot, Salem, Ooimbatore, Taujore, Triohinopoly and 
Madura ; falling slightly in Ganjam, Vizngpatam; 
Kistna, Bellary, Madras, Nilgiris, South Oaoara and 
Travancore ; stationary in the rest. Coolies employed 
on works — 6,710 in Ohingleput, 6,721 in Wandiwash, 
3,387 in Kalahaeti, 6,965 in Coimbatore, 3,953 in Nel- 
lore, 1,707 in Cuddapab, 415 in Blalabar and 147 in 
Tinnevelly. Number fed at kitchens — 2,019, including 
580 women and 1,142 children, in Ohingleput; 1,659, 
including 312 women and 1,190 children, in Wandi- 
wush ; 29, including 14 womej and 13 children, in 
Ouddapah ; 2,084, including 458 women and 1,488 
children, in Kalahasti and 199 in Ooimbatore. Loans 
granted from commencemeut of distress Rupees 
2,88,441 in UhinKleput, 96,455 in Wandiwash, 18,027 
in Ouddapiih, 1,280 in Nellore, 22,996 in Ooimbatore, 
19 820 in Tinnevelly,, Wells constructed— 981 in 
Ohingleput, 33 in Ooimbatore, 26 in Wandiwash, 25 
in Onddapsh and 34 in Tinnevelly ; under construction 
—1,926 in Ohingleput, 1,022 in Wandiwash, 245 in Oud- 
dapah, 104 in Coimbatore, 68 in Tinnevelly and 4 in 
Nellore- 
♦ 
INDIA. 
The authorities at Kew, in conjunction with the &ov- 
ernment of India, have devised a scheme for the 
organisiition of a botanical furvev of India, and the 
welding of the scattered departme nts into a iedera« 
tion with the Calcutta Botanic Gardens as the centre. 
The details of the scheme are given in the current 
number of Nature, from which we condense the 
fallowing pirtioulars, noting, by the way, that this 
is only another illustration of the general principle 
upon which the Director of the Royal Gardens, Kew, 
is working to secure a regulary organised Botanical 
Department for the whole empire, varied in detail 
according to circumstances and requirement", and ol 
which the staff shall be so selected, that any man 
who enters may rise by duccessive steps io the higher 
position. 
