14 
IX. 
Essential Oils and other Minor Industries. 
Cinnamon bark which is mostly used for extraction of an 
essential oil was again exported this year instead of being dis¬ 
tilled locally. The quantity exported amounted to 1098 tons of 
a declared value of Es. 83,647 as against 963 tons exported in 
1911. This industry will soon however decline, all the larger 
trees, except in a few localities and on Crown Lands, having 
been cut down. The smaller trees yield very little as compared 
with the large trees which possess tliicker bark and a diameter 
often exceeding one foot. As much as 100 lbs of dried bark 
was obtained from veteran trees measuring 2 feet m diameter 
and a young tree 15 years of age will only yield about 10 lbs. 
The profit per acre is very small and I do not think that culti¬ 
vating cinnamon trees for bark exportation will ever pay. But 
the above dimensions of some trees show that they are well 
adapted to the soil and climate besides their being easily propa¬ 
gated by birds, mostly the common Mynah {Acridotheres tristis), 
which is so fond of their seeds that, during the fruiting season 
(February—April), it neglects the other fruits like chillies found 
in the immediate neighbourhood of cinnamon trees. It is on 
this bird that the inhabitants count for the restocking of the 
jungle with cinnamon trees and as the profit per acre does not 
exceed Es 20 for trees of about 10 years of age it is likely that 
no attempt at culti-vation will be made unless quills are made 
when the wild bark has all been collected. The Ceylon process 
of planting cinnamon bushes and of making quills was describ¬ 
ed in my report for 1903. The seeds are sown in holes at the 
rate of 12 to a hole and the seedlings grown in champs and 
transplanted 6 feet apart when they are 6 inches high. The 
sticks are harvested when about a year old but the stools take 
about 3 years to be properly pruned and arranged so as to form 
an even growth of sticks. 
About 200 lbs of quills are obtained in Ceylon per acre and 
the price obtained is about 50 cts a pound. The cost of making 
quills is however high, skilled labourer being required. Attempts 
made here in Seychelles have shown that no more than one lb a 
day could be prepared by unskilled women. This means that the 
profit of cinnamon cultivation amounts to about Es 40 per acre. 
The distillation of cinnamon leaves and clove leaves is still 
carried out but this industry is also vanishing, the clove 
trees having been nearly ail destroyed by the barbarous way of 
cutting the large branches instead of the terminal twigs in order 
to pick the flower buds which are also exported. These two trees 
have however also suffered from the drought and from its ac¬ 
companiment of scale insects, mostly Lecanvwm tessellatumy 
which attacked the trees when they were in a feeble state after 
barking or heavy pruning. In up country places the harsh treat¬ 
ment of these two trees does not prevent them from recovering 
owing to the damp atmosphere and sufficient seedlings of both 
trees will at any time be available for planting, should it be 
found necessary in order to encourage new industries, to esta¬ 
blish new plantations and grow the two trees in hedges for the 
distillation of leaves in much the same way as camphor leaves 
are now being distilled in the Far East. 
Ylang Tlang trees were planted on a large scale 2 years 
ago but mostly in localities unsuited to them. Very few have 
made good giovdh, the trees growing in dry and stiff soils being 
attacked by a scale insect {Asterolemnivm) and remaining 
stunted in growth. Trees on the sea side especially in sheltered 
valleys have done much better and reached an enormous size. 
The distillation of oil from the flowers of this tree has not yet 
emerged from the experimental stage. 
A series of other oils, (1) Ceylon lemon grass [Androjpogon 
citmtus), (2) Cochin lemon grass [Androjpogon flexuosm), 
(3) Ceylon citronella [Andropogon na/rdus), (4) Bigarades leaves 
[Citrus liimnelhis), (6) Cuscus or Vetiver [Andropogon mwicatus) 
are being made in two of the three distilleries of Mahe and 
