coco-nut oil known to commerce as Macassar oil, for the hair, attar 
of Ylang-Ylang is the perfume. 
The perfumers of Europe and to a less degree the United States 
make it the base of some of their most costly extracts. The Ma- 
nila oil is practically without competition in the markets of the 
western nations on account of superiority and at from $40 to $55 
a pound is unequal to the demand. 
Hitherto, the United States supply has come through Germany 
or France. Together with England, those countries have a mono- 
poly of the product which is generally secured In advance under 
contract for the entire output. 
The tree common to many localities south of Manila, is found 
chiefly in the well populated provinces and idands, it being said 
to thrive best near the habitations of man. The propagation in 
plantations by seed or cuttings about 20 feet apart, each way (108 
trees to the acre), is easy and the growth rapid in almost any soil. 
The first flowers appear in the third, the eight year yielding often 
as high as 100 lbs., the bloom occurring in every month. The 
greatest yield is from July to December. 
The process of converting the long, greenish-yellow fragrant 
petals of the flower into essence is by the simplest form of distilla- 
tion, no chemicals of any kind being required, simply water and 
the choicest flowers. The oil will vaporize in a closed boiler at 
220 0 . The usual results follow. 
The best quality must be clear as distilled water and fragrant. 
7'he second quality is yellowish and smoky. The oil is drawn from 
the bottom of a glass separator, the water remaining. The oil is 
filtered through talcum and ready for the market, being packed in 
glass bottles and commands ready purchasers. 
About 75 lbs. of flowers yield one pound of oil. Flowers are 
worth from 8 to 15 gold per pound, the cost of manufacture is 
placed at *$4 a pound. The yield in the case of attar of roses is 
small, 150 lbs. of rose leaves producing but one ounce of oil. 
There are flowering groves in many parts of southern Luzon and 
the Visayan Islands which may be leased. The vicinity of Manila 
is particularly well adapted to the growth of this valuable tree.” 
Pharmaceutical Review , Vol. 20, No. 4. 
Artahotrys odoratissimus. — A climbing plant often cultivated by 
the Chinese for its sweetly scented green flowers, much smaller than 
those of the Cananga, belongs to the same order, and has some- 
what similar scent. It is hardly fioriferous enough to be worth 
cultivating for the extraction of the scent. 
The beautiful flowers of the Ceylon iron-wood tree, Matopus of 
the Malays ( Mesua ferrea), belonging to the order Gut tif eras , are 
often sold dried in our local drug shops, being used in medicine 
and cosmetics. They are deliciously scented and are used for 
satchets etc., in India. The oil has been extracted, but does not 
appear to have been ever brought into trade. The tree which is 
very ornamental is a native of the Malay Peninsula but not very 
common- 
