( 36 ) 
Oil of doves is used principally as a flavouring, but 
also to some extent in medicine and microscopy. 
The present price (Sept. 1923) of the oil is about 
7s. Qd. per lb. 
Nutmeg. ( Myristica fragrans ) . — This is a bushy 
tree about 30 ft. high, which is culti- 
vated lor the nutmeg and mace of commerce. 
There is a small demand for the essential oil, which 
is obtained by steam distillation of the crushed 
nutmegs, the yield of oil being from 8 to 10 per cent. 
Nutmeg oil is used almost entirely as a flavouring 
agent. 
The current price (Sept. 1923) of the oil is about 
4s. 6d. per lb. 
CONCLUSIONS. 
Although it will be seen from the foregoing in- 
formation that there is a large number of oil-yielding 
plants which can be cultivated in this country, yet 
the development of many of them on anything but 
a small scale is not possible. 
In the first place, there is only a limited demand 
for many of these oils, and any considerable increase 
in production would result in an overloading of the 
market, with a corresponding reduction in price. 
In the second place, many of these crops need a 
surplus of labour in the country, available at any 
time for the limited periods of planting and har- 
vesting. This surplus is unfortunately not available 
in Malaya. 
With crops such as coconuts and African oil palm, 
which produce more or less continuously throughout 
the year, these difficulties are obviated, as there is 
a steady demand for the products and a permanant 
labour force can be kept employed. 
