278 
Indian Forest Records. 
[VoL. I. 
The following series of determinations of the percentage of essential 
oil contained in the Blumca halsamifera of Burma were made with 
the object of ascertaining whether the yield of the essential oil from that 
shrubby composite was sufficiently large to encourage the distillation of 
this plant in Burma on an industrial scale. These analyses were made 
both in Burma with the fresh green plants and in Dehra Dun with the 
dry baled samples. The essential oil determinations were made according 
to method No. 2 described on page 277, above. 
For the purpose of comparing the yields of the oil from different sam- 
ples the percentage yield of the oil has also been calculated on the dry 
material. 
Sample No. 1 . — From a Tounqya near Taungoo. Height of the plant, 
8 feet ; girth near the root, 4 inches. Analysed in the morning following the 
evening on which it was cut. The wood of the stem, when cut up, found 
yellowish and of a fine, close grain. Odour of cut up roots, strongly cam- 
phoraceous ; of stem less so, and of bruised leaves mixed. 
Table No. I. 
Sample. 
Part of the 
plant. 
Moisture. 
Volatile oil. j 
1 
Volatile oil 
on dry plant. 
B. balsamifera I).C. (Tann- 
f Leaves 
37-14 
1-20 1 
1-91 
goo). Fresh green. 
< Roots 
51 -45 
0-97 
1-99 
(. Stem 
52-75 
0-39 
1 
0-83 
It will be seen that the roots and the leaves are nearly equally rich in 
volatile oil. The yield from stem, too, is fairly satisfactory. Since the 
roots cannot always be made available for distillation, further assay of 
these was omitted. 
Sample No. 2 . — Fresh green leaves, and dry withered leaves hanging 
on the plant, collected from Mawhan forests, Katha Division. Analysed 
at Mawhan about 5 hours after plucking. Dry leaves easily crumbled, 
with pure strong camphor-like odour ; fresh leaves smelt like the Taungoo 
sample. 
Table No. II. 
Sample. 
Part of the 
plant. 
Moisture. 
Volatile oil. 
Volatile oil 
on dry plant. 
(^Green leaves 
1 
60-90 
0-04 
1-G4 
B. balsamifera 
D.C. 
(Mawhan). 
1 Withered dry 
leaves. 
13-45 
0-92 
1-06 
