410 
Baros  Camphor  of  Johore. 
/Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
1      Aug.,  1885. 
BAROS  CAMPHOR— KAPUR  BAROOS^^  OF  JOHORE. 
By  Peter  MACE\yAN. 
This  camphor  is  "  found  native,"  and  since  an  early  date  has  been  sought 
after  by  the  inhabitants  of  the  Malayan  Archipelago.  Though  not  sur- 
prising to  learn  that  it  is  obtained  in  Johore,  the  Forestry  Exhibition  speci- 
mens appear  to  be  the  first  brought  to  this  country.  I  have  failed  to  find 
any  information  in  books  regarding  the  extent  to  which  Dryohalanops 
aromatica  exists  in  Johore,  and  the  amount  of  camphor  obtained  there- 
from.   Mr.  Jamie  says  : 
It  is  only  within  the  past  few  years  that  Johore  was  known  to  contain 
camphor  trees,  similar  to  those  in  Borneo,  growing  amongst  many  other 
valuable  kinds  of  timber.  As  it  may  not  be  generally  known,  I  may  men- 
tion that  in  the  protected  State  of  Perak  a  vast  forest  of  camphor  trees  has 
been  found  and  this  is  conserved  by  the  Government." 
Mr.  Meldrum  writes:  "The  Kayo  Kapur  yields  the  gum  known  as 
Borneo  camphor  or  '  Kapur  baroos.'  It  is  the  natural  production  of  the  tree 
and  from  its  scarcity  and  the  virtues  attributed  to  it  by  the  Chinese,  fetches 
more  than  its  weight  in  silver.  It  all  goes  to  China.  The  timber  of  the 
camphor  tree  is  as  durable  and  as  strong  as  teak.  It  weighs  48  lbs.  per  cubic 
foot.  It  is  a  handsome  tree,  frequently  running  up  to  150  feet  with  a 
diameter  of  6  or  7  feet  at  5  feet  from  the  ground." 
Two  very  interesting  papers  on  "  Borneo  Camphor  "  are  contained  in  the 
twelfth  volume  of  the  "Pharmaceutical  Journal,"  one  by  Dr.  W.  H.  de 
Vriesse,  the  other  by  Sir  W.  J.  Hooker.  In  these  and  the  classic  account 
given  by  the  authors  of  "  Pharmacographia,"  full  information  regarding  the 
method  of  collection  will  be  found.  The  amount  annually  obtained  varies 
considerably.  Thus  the  Labuau  export  in  1863  was  valued  at  5,168  dollars  ; 
in  1864,  11,156  dollars  ;  and  in  18S1  it  had  fallen  to  2,587  dollars.  There  is 
a  duty  of  from  5  to  10  j^er  cent,  on  this  as  on  all  natural  products. 
The  Maharajah's  collection  contained  four  qualities  of  the  camphor,  a 
specimen  of  the  oil,  and  a  good  section  of  the  tree  showing  the  camphor  in 
situ.  Of  the  latter,  Professor  Archer  was  exceedingly  proud.  In  Hooker's 
paper,  the  illustration  given  of  a  specimen  received  from  Labuan  repre- 
sents a  condition  of  things  quite  different  from  the  Johore  specimen.  In 
the  former,  the  crystals  (which  are  of  the  rectangular  prism  form)  are  situ- 
ated in  and  around  furrows  in  the  w^ood,  but  in  the  latter  the  wood  is  only 
roughened,  not  furrowed,  and  the  C£imphor  is  deposited  in  scales.  Where 
the  cleft  occurs  in  the  wood  the  surface  is  of  a  brown  color,  and  has  a 
varnished  appearance  (due  to  deposit  of  resin),  the  crystals  adhering  to  it. 
Otherwise,  the  w^ood  is  exactly  the  color  of  cinnamon. 
I  have  said  that  the  camphor  is  in  four  qualities.  This  is  noteworthy,  for 
in  "  Pharmacographia''  it  is  stated  that  it  is  picked,  cleaned  and  selected 
into  three  qualities;  Mr.  Jamie  also  states  in  the  subjoined  note,  that  it  is 
unusual  to  find  four  qualities.    For  these  reasons,  I  give  details. 
First  quality. — Transparent  crystals,  unmixed  with  woody  matter  and 
destitute  of  color.    Few  of  the  crystals  are  less  than  a  sixth  of  an  inch 
