590 
Camphor  Production. 
Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
August,  1920. 
a  passing  mention,  inasmuch  as  they  have  recently  been  so  ablv 
dealt  with  in  this  Journal  by  Mr.  Chaston  Chapman.  The  de- 
mand for  vegetable  oils  and  fats  is  a  growing  one,  and  the  sources 
of  supply  are  likewise  increasing,  while  chemical  investigation  has 
already  shown  how  much  can  be  done  in  rendering  the  raw  oil 
suitable  for  foods  and  other  purposes.  But  we  are  really  only  on 
the  threshold  of  the  wealth  which  the  vegetable  kingdom  holds  out 
to  those  who  know  how  to  grasp  it.  As  in  utilizing  these  things  we 
are  increasing  the  revenue,  without,  as  in  some  of  our  large  indus- 
tries, depleting  the  capital  of  the  world. 
CAMPHOR    PRODUCTION    IN    BRITISH  EMPIRE.* 
(Alfred  Nutting,  clerk  in  American  Consulate  General,  London,.  England,  April 
II,  1920.) 
The  world's  annual  requirements  and  the  present  practical 
monopoly  of  production  by  Japan  of  camphor,  together  with  the 
present  high  price  and  increasing  demand,  have  drawn  attention  to 
the  possibilities  of  profitable  cultivation  of  camphor  in  other  coun- 
tries and  particularly  within  the  British  Empire. 
Prof.  P.  Carmody,  F.I.C.  (late  Director  of  Agriculture,  Trinidad), 
discusses  the  situation  in  the  Times  Trade  Supplement  of  April  10. 
He  points  out  that  refined  camphor  is  now  about  2s.  ($0.49)  per 
ounce  and  23s.  6d.  ($5.72)  per  pound,  whereas  five  years  ago  it  was 
per  pound  little  over  the  current  price  per  ounce;  and  although 
there  are,  or  have  been,  great  fluctuations,  the  price  may  rise  fur- 
ther unless  increased  production  is  assured. 
Commercial  camphor,  he  states,  chiefly  originates  in  Formosa, 
but  as  "the  camphor  is  obtained  there  by  distillation  of  the  wood  the 
annual  destruction  of  trees  must  be  very  considerable,  and  this  may 
account  for  the  reports  of  diminishing  supplies."  It  is  estimated 
that  10,000,000  pounds  of  camphor  are  required  by  the  world  an- 
nually. Other  present  sources  are  the  Fukien  Province  of  China, 
Shikoku  and  Kiushiu  Islands  in  Japan,  Cochin  China,  Sumatra, 
Java  and  Borneo. 
Results  Already  Obtained  in  British  Colonies.^ — In  1852  the 
tree  was  introduced  into  Ceylon,  but  little  more  was  done  until  in 
1893  a  supply  of  seeds  was  obtained  from  Japan,  and  1,000  trees 
*  From  Commerce  Reports,  May  4,  1920. 
