3  6  Oil  of  Calophyllum  Inophylium.       { ^"^  jfC^fso"'" 
Calophyllum  Calaha^  a  tree  indigenous  in  Malabar  and  other  parts  of  the 
Madras  Peninsula. 
The  medicinal  qualities  of  the  oil  seem  somewhat  doubtful.  It  is- 
certainly  held  in  some  repute  among  the  natives  as  a  remedy  in  rheu- 
matism, but  they  hold  many  other  oils  in  equal  estimation  for  the  same 
purpose,  and  in  most  cases  they  are  inert  except  mechanically,  by  pro- 
tecting the  surface  of  the  affected  part  from  the  action  of  extremes  of 
temperature.  In  Calcutta  the  local  European  druggists  are  not  acquainted 
with  the  oil  as  a  medicinal  agent,  nor  does  it  seem  to  be  known  in 
commerce. 
The  only  sample  I  have  met  with  was  at  the  Economic  Museum. 
This  sample,  w^hich  was  received  from  Pooree,  is  a  clear  oil  of  dark 
color,  and  rather  disagreeable  odor.  It  w^ould  apparently  be  well 
adapted  for  burning,  and  it  is  for  this  purpose  it  would  seem  that  the 
oil  is  most  used.  Dr.  Hill,  Civil  Surgeon  of  Pooree,  says  that  there 
the  oil  is  only  used  for  burning,  though  the  native  doctor  in  charge  of 
the  dispensary  uses  it  in  the  preparation  of  ointments.  The  only 
account  I  have  been  able  to  find  of  the  cultivation  of  the  tree  is  given 
in  a  recent  report  by  Bahu  Nand  Kishor  Das,  Deputy-Collector  of 
Pooree.  This  report  was  sent  to  the  Economic  Museum  with  the 
sample  above  referred  to.  The  Bahu  writes  :  "  The  tree  is  here  called 
Punang.  It  grows  well  in  sandy  soil.  The  seeds  are  sown  in  the 
ground  where  the  trees  are  intended  to  grow,  and  transplantation  is 
rarely  resorted  to.'  Until  the  trees  grow  to  the  height  of  about  five  or 
six  feet  they  require  to  be  constantly  watered  and  protected  from  cat- 
tle. They  bear  fruit  when  they  are  about  five  years  old,  the  trees 
yielding  two  harvests  of  oil  seeds  annually,  in  August  and  again  in 
February,  when  the  seeds  are  gathered  (those  only  that  are  intended  to- 
be  used  as  seeds  for  taansplantation  being  allowed  to  fall  when  ripe). 
The  seeds  being  gathered,  are  beaten  with  a  small  wooden  hammer  or 
some  such  thing,  which  causes  the  separation  of  the  shell  from 
the  kernel,  which  is  then  cut,  sliced  and  dried  in  the  sun,  and  is  then 
put  in  the  mill.  The  mill  used  for  the  purpose  is  the  common  country 
mill,  which  consists  of  a  small  trunk  of  wood  in  which  a  hole  is  made 
^  From  personal  experience  I  should  say  that  a  good  method  of  propagation  would 
be  to  let  the  seeds  germinate  where  they  fall  in  the  shade  cf  the  parent  tree.  This 
they  do  freely.  The  transplantation  of  the  young  plants  when  niae  or  ten  inches, 
high  is,  if  carefully  done,  attended  with  hardly  any  loss.. 
