346 
THE TROPICAL AQRICULTURtST. [November 2, 1891. 
tius and the Philippine Islands, and, excepting lemon- 
grass, is probably the only species of the grasses 
under discussion occurring in the New World, being 
abundant in the Antilles, Porto-Rico, Jamaica, Brazil, 
It was observed by Virey,(r/) that the word va- in the 
Hindu language means "a long, creeping root." The 
roots of this grass closely resemble in appearance the 
roots of the " Chiendent-4-balai " (A. Ischmmum, Linn.), 
roots which are used for making carpet-brooms, being 
long, thin, and creeping, with a bark of a pale yellowish 
brown or light tawny colour. The roots extend in a 
fibrous tangled mass. In the " Gazetteer of the Cen- 
tral Provinces " this grass is described as a nuisance 
to the agriculturists, as it grows on the rich soil and 
is very difficult to eradicate, but the "Oudh Gazetteer," 
III., p. 176, says—" it is generally strictly preserved, 
as it takes time to spread, and proprietors are averse 
to its being dug upforKhas." This seems to indicate 
a different value being put on it in the different 
localities within the wide range of its growth. This 
plant is alluded toon some copper-plate inscripitions 
discovered near Etawah, south-west of Agia (dated 
A. D. 1103 and 1L74), as being one of the articles of com- 
merce on which the Kings of Kanauj levied taxes, ('a^ 
The leaves are inodorous. The roots have a strong, 
peculiar odour, somewhat like myrrh, combined with 
that of some flower. This odour partly disappears 
when the root is dried, but immediately manifests 
itself on the application of moisture, and is retain- 
ed so tenaciously as to be perceptible after the root 
has even been scalded, or partly boiled ; they con- 
tain a resin of a deep brown colour, having an 
acid taste and an odour like myrrh, a colouring 
matter partly soluble in water, a free acid, a salt 
of lime, a considerable quantity of oxide of ixoTi,(h) 
and a powerful volatile oil, which is rather difficult 
to extract thoroughly in the ordinary way by reason 
of its high boiling-point and its association with 
the resin ; this difficulty may be overcome by placing 
the root in a steam-jacketted still with just suffi- 
cient water to drench it, and allowing it to stand 
for a short time, so that the water may penetrate 
into the tissues. Then, by admitting steam of about 
15 lbs. pressure into the jacket, the light oil (for there 
is a light oil of a lower boiling-point) will come over 
and may be collected seperately, and a cun-ent of 
steam of 15 lb. gradually raised to 25 lb. pressure 
afterwards admitted into the still by a pipe at the 
bottom can be blown through the mass until oil ceases 
to drop into the receiver. Dr. Piesse, in his work on 
perfumes, states the yield to be 10 oz. per cwt. ; but, 
according to Watt, (c) the yield of 100 lb. of root is only 
2 oz. The crude heavy oil is very viscid, of a dark 
brown colour, consisting mainly of a liquid boiling 
at 260°-283°C. Dr. Gladstone found that the action of 
sodium proved this to be a mixture of two bodies, the 
one decomposable, the other unalterable by that metal. 
He states the sp. gi". at 19° 5 C. to be 1-007. j-'U 
■ The uses of vetiver in England are connned to the 
distilation of the oil, which commands a very high 
price The oil enters into the composition of many 
favourite perfumes, as "Mousseline des Indes," "Blaro- 
chal" "Bouquet du Roi," &c., and it is known that 
in India the roots are woven into fans, screens to cool 
the atmosphere, ornamental baskets, &c. Dr. Irvine, 
in his medical topography of Ajmere, mentions the 
oil in the preparation of sherbet. In India it enters 
into the composition of several cooling medicines. 
An aromatic bath is prepared by adding to a tuto 
of water the following substances -.—Roots of A.miiri- 
axtui Pavonia odovata, santal-wood, and a fragrant 
wood called " Padma Kastha." The oil is adminis- 
tered in 2 minim doses to check vomiting in cholera. 
Mixed with benzoin, and smoked in the form of cigar- 
ettes, it relieves headeache.— Watt. .n, • • 
4 GiNOKii-ORAss Oil, ou Geranium Oil.— This is 
deiivod from the leaves of Andropofjon schccnanthus, 
''^Joumulde i'harmacic, xiii. p. 499. 
a Proc. Asiatic Soc. Bengal, Aug. 1873, p. 161. 
I, Vanquclin's Amialc.i ih Clninic, Ixxii. p. 302. 
c Watt's /he. Cliriiii.sln/ IHOS. v. p. 999. 
(/ Joiini. Cliciii. <S'oc., Jan. 1872. 
e Hindu Mat. hhd., p. 271. 
Linnaeus. Syn. A. Martini, Roxb. ; A. nardoiden, Nees; 
A. pacli'Hodes, Trinnius-,!^^ Ci/mhoponon Jfai tini, Munro; 
and^-1. calannts'aioittaticus, Royle. f(;J, (h). A. Iwaran- 
ciMa, Schultes, is identical with, or a mere form of, 
A. .ichaiiaiithus. Linn. 
This plant has many names in India, such as 
Agyaghas, Ganda-bena, Mirchia-gand, &c., fully 
detailed in Watt's " Dictionary of Economic Pro- 
ducts," i. p. 249. The oil is known in commerce under 
a variety of names, such as : in England, ginger-grass 
oil, Turkish oil of geranium, Rusa-grass oil, oil ol 
Nimar, or Nemaur. In the otto-producing districts of 
the Balkan it is known to Europeans as essence of 
geranium and oil of Palma-rosa ; in India it is called 
Rusa-oil, Roshel, Rusa-ka-tel ; in Egypt, Arabia, 
and Constantinople it appears under the names of 
Idris-Yaghi and Entreshah, names which may mislead 
to the belief in a variety of oils produced from several 
plants. These names seem to be mostly of modern 
origin, and to indicate the use to which the oil is 
put. As pointed out by the authors of the " Phar- 
macographia," these names look very like a corruption 
from Kose-oil, the more so since the principal con- 
sumptiou is as an adulterant of otto of rose. It is 
curious, however, that, as stated by Dr. Dymock, 
the Indian distillers and dealers know nothing of 
this use. The name "geranium-oil" has caused 
much confusion with the true geranium-oil, derived 
from various species of Pelanionium (which will be 
afterwards described), and has apparently come into 
existence from the fact that the so-called "geranium 
grass " oil is used to adulterate the true geranium oil, 
which, in its turn, is used to adulterate the otto of rose. 
The grass is found growing wild in large tracts in the 
northern and eastern provinces, particularly in the 
north-west provinces of the Punjab ; it is abundant 
everywhere in the Deccan, in Central India, and 
is cultivated in Kashmir in localities formerly 
devoted to the rose. Dr. Roxburgh states that he 
first noticed the plant as grown from seeds for- 
warded to him by General Martin, collected at 
Balaghat during the last war with Tippoo Sultan. 
The grass flowers in October and November, and 
is then fit for cutting. Dr. Dymock says that 373 lb. 
of grass received from Khandesh and submitted to 
distillation under his own superintendence in Bombay 
yielded 1 lb. .5| oz. of oil. 
The "Bombay Gazetteer," III., page 251, gives an 
interesting account of the manner in which Rusa oil 
used to be prepared at Panch Mahals : — " The grass- 
oil from the large-bladed aromatic grass known as 
Roisa, which used to grow over large estates of waste 
land, was sold in considerable quantities at 4 rupees 
per lb., and used freely as a remedy in rheumatism 
. . . The oil was extracted by distillation ; a rough 
stone oven was built by the side of a stream, and in it 
a large metal cauldron was placed, filled with bundles 
of grass and water; a wooden lid was put on, and 
sealed with a plaster of ground pulse. Through a 
hole in the lid one end of a hollow bamboo was 
thrust, and the other end passed into a smaller metal 
vessel securely fixed under water in the bed of the 
stream. The oven was then heated, and the vapour 
passing through the hollow bamboo was, by the cold- 
ness of the smaller vessel, condensed." 
Apparently the first mention of the oil was by 
Maxwell, in 1825 fij ; but it is only within compara- 
tively recent times that the oil has become an article 
of commercial value. 
From the fact that the largest supplies of Rusha oil 
are obtained from the Nimar district, at Khandesh, 
Bombay Presidency, the oil has come to bear the com- 
mercial name of Nimar, Nimaur, and Namar. Dr. 
Dymock, describing the manufacture in this district, 
states that an iron still is used, and only a very small 
quantity of water added to the grass ; when the still 
is carelessly worked the grass burns, and commu- 
nicates a dark colour to the oil, which should be a 
pale-sherry colour when good. Its odour at first 
recalls that of the rose, but this sensation is almost 
/ Trill. tSpec. Oraiiiiiium, iii. t. 327. 
(/ Illnsf. opBot. J [iiiinJinjaii Mountains, i. p. 425 t 97. 
/( Ventenat's Jardin dc (_'c/.i, t. 89. 
i Calcutta Med. and I'lii/s. Traim., i. p. 367. 
