Silhouette and the persons in charge have become acquainted 
with the various processes used to obtain so many different oils. 
Vetiver oil from roots was distilled this year on a small scale in 
West Mahe showing that most of the difficulties have been sur¬ 
mounted, the oils from these roots not being easy to obtain. 
As there is a great variety of other plants in reserve : lime trees, 
cardamons (Malabar and Mysore) Basil {Ocymum hasilic'imi and 
other varieties) it is important that the various methods of 
distilling essential oils adopted in the distilleries in question 
should become well knowi^ to the public. 
The quantity of various essentials oils exported in 1912 
amounted to 2227 litres worth a declared value of Es 7700. 
Another plant which produces a valuable essential oil in 
the Island of Eeunion has been found growing wild in many 
localities especially alongside For^t Noire and Misere road above 
1000 feet elevation where it has escaped from gardens of some 
well-to-do inhabitants in ancient times. This plant is Hedychium 
Gardnerianum (commonly called Longouze) which produces 
fragrant light yellow flowers in aburrdance. In Eeuniorr these 
flowers are macerated in petrolurn ethers which are afterwards 
distilled in vacuo the essential oils remairring in a concentrated 
semi-solid state and exported as such. This is a delicate process 
which cannot be adopted easily without technical knowledge 
and another type of installation as yet unknown in the Colorry. 
Other mirror industries worth mentioning are : 
Mangrove bark from Aldabra where a forest of 3000 acres 
capable of producing 50,000 tons of dried bark has beeir found 
to exist. 
18 tons of this bark were exported in 1912. 
Some cotton and cotton seeds of the indigenous species 
(Goseypium pm-pwascens) were exported to the vahre of about 
Es 1100. This plant grows wild in a few islands of the archi¬ 
pelago and the cotton exported were ga,thered from these wild 
plants. There is very little ground in the archipelago suitable 
for this herbaceous plant but that it can be easily grown is 
shovm from the fact tlj.a;t it becomes perennial in the rich coral 
islands containing guano deposits. 
Citrate of lime has been made in Silhouette to the amount 
of 700 kilos worth a declared value of Es 420. This industry 
has a bright futvne but the lime plants are badly attacked by 
two scale insects {Leca'iviu'.n viride and Aspidiotus dcus) which 
reduce the crops considerably and unless the nsituval fungoid 
parasites which have appeared on the same keep them in check, 
there is little chance of the industry ever becoming established 
on a fii'm footing. 
X. 
Insect Notes. 
In my Annual Eeport for 1911, I called the attention of 
planters to the parasitic fungi wMch made their appearance on 
scale insects in various localities mostly above 800 feet eleva¬ 
tion. 
These parasites have continued their good work and consi¬ 
derably relieved Para Eubber trees and coffee bushes from the 
scale insects which, especially in the latter case, had caused the 
destruction of a great many plantations. The scale insect on 
Para rubber is Lecaniv/m nigrum which is parasited even in the 
low country by the/wwgTMs landiy identified by Mr Fetch of 
Ceylon as Hypocrella sp. This lecanium also attacks Hibiscus. 
Among other lecanioms found in this Colony I may mention : 
Lecanium oleee on ficus nautarum, 
„ hesperidum on cassias. 
„ tessaiatum on cofc’te, coconut, cinnamono 
„ longulum on anonas. 
„ frontale on casuarina. 
,, viride on coffee, citrus and ixora, &c. 
It is to be hoped that the Hypocrella fungus will spread on 
to the other species of lecanium. 
