Am.  Jour.  Pharm. ) 
October,  1897.  J 
Camphor  Tree. 
515 
The  Tariff  Act  approved  July  27,  1897,  imposes  a  duty  of  6  cents 
per  pound  on  refined  camphor  and  leaves  crude  camphor  on  the  free 
list,  as  heretofore. 
There  has  been  an  increase  in  importations  of  refined  camphor, 
due  to  improved  methods  of  refining  and  packing  in  Japan  and  to 
changes  in  the  tariff;  but  this  increase  has  been  much  more  than 
counter-balanced  by  the  decrease  in  importations  of  crude  camphor. 
The  decrease  may  be  attributed  to  the  following  causes:  (1)  The 
exhaustion  of  the  supply  of  the  available  camphor  trees  near  the 
shipping  ports ;  (2)  the  governmental  restrictions  on  the  trade  in 
camphor  in  Formosa  :  (3)  government  taxes  on  the  exportation  of 
camphor  from  Formosa  ;  (4)  hostilities  and  wanton  destruction  of 
camphor  stills  by  the  natives  in  Formosa ;  (5)  disturbances  in  the 
camphor-producing  district  of  China  ;  (6)  the  China-Japan  war ; 
(7)  attempts  by  speculators  to  corner  the  market. 
These  causes  have  increased  the  price  of  camphor,  and  this  in 
turn  has  led  to  the  introduction  of  substitutes.  Menthol  and  other 
peppermint  derivatives  or  compounds,  carbolic  acid  and  its  deriva- 
tives, naphthalin,  formalin  and  insect  powder  are  now  used  for  various 
purposes  where  camphor  was  formerly  employed.  Camphor  has 
been  manufactured  artificially  at  a  cost  leaving  a  margin  of  profit  at 
present  prices.  It  is,  therefore,  apparent  that  if  the  production  of 
camphor  from  the  trees  is  to  be  carried  on  with  profit  in  this 
country,  and  the  industry  increased  to  any  considerable  extent,  the 
price  of  camphor  must  be  reduced  to  compete  with  the  prices  of 
substitutes  now  taking  its  place. 
Camphor  has  been  obtained  from  several  other  plants  not  at  all 
related  to  the  ordinary  camphor  tree ;  but  only  two  kinds,  Borneo 
camphor  and  Blumea  camphor,  are  of  any  importance  commer- 
cially. 
Borneo  camphor  is  obtained  from  the  camphor  tree  of  Borneo 
and  Sumatra,  Dryobalanops  aromatica.  It  is  deposited  in  clefts  and 
hollows  in  the  wood,  and  has  simply  to  be  taken  out.  This  cam- 
phor is  comparatively  rare  and  the  supply  is  consumed  almost  ex- 
clusively in  China,  where  it  is  valued  at  from  thirty  to  ninety  times 
as  much  as  ordinary  camphor. 
Blumea  camphor  is  obtained  by  distillation  from  Blumea  balsami- 
fera,  a  shrub  growing  in  Burmah  and  the  Malay  Peninsula.  This 
is  usually  refined  in  Canton,  whence  about  10,000  pounds  are  ex- 
