3  8  Indian  Forest  Products.  {^knSary.^S?' 
The  forests  of  India  are  so  rich  in  minor  products  of  all  kinds 
that  only  those  of  proved,  commercial  value  are  dealt  with  by  Mr. 
Troup.  As  regards  oil-seeds  it  is  interesting  to  note  that  the  best 
known  obtained  from  any  Indian  tree  is  that  of  the  mohwa,  Bassia 
latifolia,  which  is  used  in  India  primarily  for  adulterating  ghee, 
besides  being  exported  to  Europe  in  large  quantities;  thus,  in  1913- 
14  the  total  exports  amounted  to  665,979  Cwt,  valued  at  364,000  1., 
of  which  quite  95  per  cent,  found  its  way  to  Germany,  but  since  the 
war  much  of  the  trade  has  been  diverted  to  England  via  Bombay. 
Many  of  the  forest  oil-seeds  are  utilized  to  a  large  extent  as  food 
and  for  cooking  in  India,  but  as  a  rule  the  seeds  collected  from 
trees  scattered  over  large  areas  do  not  compete  with  oil-seeds  culti- 
vated as  agricultural  crops,  and  their  collection  is  only  commercially 
remunerative  if  they  possess  special  properties,  e.  g. : 
The  seeds  of  Taraktogenos  Kurzii  yield  the  true  chaulmugra  oil 
of  commerce  .  .  the  tree  is  fairly  common  in  Assam,  the  seeds 
being  exported  from  the  Khasi  Hills  and  sold  in  Sunamganj.  It  is 
also  common  in  the  Sylhet  and  Sibsagar  divisions  of  that  Province, 
while  considerable  quantities  are  available  from  the  Rangoon  and 
Shwegyin  divisions  of  Burma.  A  very  similar  oil,  which  is  also  a 
variety  of  chaulmugra  oil,  is  obtained  from  the  seed  of  Hydno- 
carpus  Wightiana,  which  is  found  in  the  forests  of  the  West  Coast, 
especially  in  South  Malabar  and  in  the  Cochin  and  Travancore 
States. 
The  forests  of  India  are  rich  in  undeveloped  tanning  materials, 
and  there  is  unquestionably  a  great  opportunity  for  technical  re- 
search as  well  as  for  industrial  and  commercial  development.  The 
study  of  tanning  materials  is  being  steadily  prosecuted  at  the  Forest 
Research  Institute,  and  with  the  object  of  inquiring  into  the  com- 
mercial possibilities  of  preparing  tan  and  extracts,  the  government 
of  India  have  recently  secured  the  services  of  a  tanning  expert 
from  England.  Among  those  described  are  myrabolans,  babul  bark 
and  pods,  mangrove-barks,  Cassia  auriculata  (the  standard  tan-bark 
of  southern  India),  leaf  tans  or  sumach,  cutch,  etc.  Among  the 
essential  oils  described  by  Mr.  Troup  prominence  is  given  to  sandal- 
wood, rosha  (east  Indian  geranium  or  palmarosa  oil),  and  lemon- 
grass.  There  is  nothing  new  to  be  said  about  sandalwood,  except 
that  the  hope  is  expressed  that  "  the  time  is  not  far  distant  when 
the  whole  output  of  sandalwood  required  for  distillation-purposes 
