337 
very low ebb, 9! to 10 pieces per lb. and land is going out of culti- 
vation in the grass. On the other hand, the new Java oil, men- 
tioned last year, is selling in increasing quantities at high prices 
(often \s.i\d.) It is not in. reality so superior to the best Ceylon 
oils, as the price would indicate, but it is not adulterated, and has 
no bad reputation to contend against. 
Oil of Vetiver or Cus-cus, Ardropogon muricatus , Retz., is chiefly 
obtained from India. In this plant the leaves are scentless and 
the roots only produce the oil. The oil which is the most viscid 
of all essential oils is dark brown in colour and seldom exported, 
but the roots are a regular article of commerce. The oil is used 
in the finer perfumery. Vetiver grows very well in Singapore, 
and perhaps might be worth cultivating. 
These three grasses as I have elsewhere pointed out may well 
be grown for the purpose of keeping down weeds in the estate, 
and when too high can be cut down and either distilled or used 
merely for mulching, growing compactly as they do especially when 
cut from time to time they prevent waste parts of the ground from 
being covered with white weed or other troublesome weeds trom 
growing and scattering their seeds over the plantation. (Set* also 
Bulletin 1st Series, No. 8, p. 23.) 
Calamus oil is derived from Acorns Calamus , L. the Deringu of 
the Malays, the sweet flag of Europe, belonging to the order 
(Aracese). It occurs here and there almost all over the world, in 
temperate and tropical regions. It is often planted by the Malays 
in and round the villages in damp spots, and is used in native 
medicine. Sawer in the Odorographia says that the powdered 
roots is used in England as a toilet powder, and in sachets, and 
that an oil is distilled from the leaves and roots, that from the 
leaves is preferable for toilet perfumes and aromatic vinegar. The 
root-oil is used to improve the flavour of gin and to impart a pecu- 
liar taste to beer. 
Oil of Zedoary ( Curcuma zeruinbet) is derived from the rhizome 
of the plant known to the Malays as Temu Lawas. It is com- 
monly cultivated and also half wild here, and is used in curries. 
Koempferia rotunda, L., the Chekor, also produces an oil, but 
it does not appear to be used nowadays. 
Ginger oil is obtained from Zingiber officinale , Roscoe, and is 
said to possess the aromatic odour of the rhizome, but is not 
pungent. 
Both the Nutmeg and Mace produce oils, which are said to be 
almost or quite identical in their properties. The Cinnamon tree 
of Ceylon is remarkable for producing three distinct kinds of oil, 
that of the bark, root and leaves. That of the root containing 
camphor. The Cinnamon tree grows very well in the Straits but 
the supply from Ceylon at present meets all demands. Cassia oil 
is obtained from the leaves chiefly of the Chinese Cassia tree Cin- 
namomum Cassia, which is cultivated in China. The tree grows 
very well in ihe Gardens in Singapore, attaining a large size. The 
annual production of Cassia oil varies between two and three 
thousand piculs. There is another Cassia bark, in Singapore, com- 
‘ *7 
