The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1870-09-24
The CamphOr.Tree of Sumatra.

Among the most luxuriant and valuable
trees of the island of Sumatra the first place
belongs to the Dryobalanops camphora-
The tree is straight, extraordinarily tall,
and has gigantic crown, which often over
tops the other woody giants by 100 feet or
SO. The stem is sometimes twenty feet
thick. According to the natives there are
three kinds of camphor tree, which they
name "mailanguan, "marbin tnngan, :"
and "marbin targan," from the outward
color of the bark, which is sometimes vel
low, sometimes black, and often red. The
bark is rough and grooved, and is over
grown with moss. The leaves are of a
dark green, oblong oval in shape, and
pointed; they smell Of camphor, and are
besides hard and tough. The outward
form of the fruit is very like that of the
acorn, but it has around it five petals; these
are placed somewhat apart from each other,
and the whole in form much resembles
lily. The fruit is also impregnated with
camphor, and is eaten by the natives when
it is well ripened and fresh. The amazing
hight of the tree binders the regular gath
ering, but when the tree yields its fruit
which takes place in March, April, and
May, the population go out to collect it,
which they speedily effect, as, if the fruit
be allowed to remain four days on the
ground, it sends forth root of about the
length of a finger, and becomes unfit to be
eaten. Amongst other things, this fruit,
prepared with sugar, furnishes tasty COM
fit or article of confectionery. 1t is said
that it is very unhealthy to remain near
the camphor tree during the Towering sea-
son, because of the extraordinary hot exha-
atoms from it during that period. The
greater the age of the tree the more cam
phor it contains. Usually the order of the
rajah is given for number of men, say
thirty, to gather camphor in the bush
belonging to territory which he claims
The men appointed then seek for place
where many trees grow together; there
they construct rude huts The tree is cut
down just above the roots, after which it is
divided into small pieces, and these are
afterwards split, upon which the camphor,
which is found in hellows or crevices in the
body of the tree, and, above all, in the
knots and swellings of branches from the
trunk, becomes visible in the form of gran
ules or grains. The quantity of camphor
yielded by single tree seldom amounts to
more than a half pound, and if we take
into account the great and long continued
labor requisite in gathering it, we have the
natural reply to the question why it fetches
so high price. At the same time that the
camphor is gathered-that is, during the
cutting down of the tree-the oil, which
then drips from the cuttings, is caught in
considerable quantity. 1t is seldom brought
to market, because probably the price and
remunerative. Whenever the oil is offered
for sale at Baros the usual price is one gull
der for an ordinary quart wine-bottleful.-
The production of Bares camphor lessons
yearly; and the profitable operation of for
mer times, say in the year 1853, when fully
1850 lbs. were sent from Padang to Bata-
via, will never return. Since time out of
mind the beautiful clumps and clusters of
camphor-trees have been destroyed in a
ruthless manner; young and old have been
felled, and as no planting or means of re-
newal has taken place, but the growth of
the trees has been left to nature, it is not
improbable that this noble species will ere
ong W holly disappear from Sumatra.
Journal Of Applied Sciencs.