The daily morning journal and courier., 1904-12-01
cAMPHoR IN FoRMosA.

Alter climbing for some time the steep and slippery hillside in the direc- tion of the hut we had seen from the valley below, we came upon a large camphor tree lying felled across our path. It was about four feet in dia-s meter, and had ben sawn longitudi- nally into two portions, Two men were engaged pairing off, with kind of gouge-shaped adze, chips measuring some six inches and about the thick ness of one's little finger. The whole air was pervaded by strong odor of camphor. A little farther up the hill we came upon the stills themselves, pie tuesquely situated by the side of a mountain stream amid the most luxu- riant vegetation. The process by which the eamphor is extracted from the wood is simple and inexpensive. The sheated by a slow fire. The camphor-5 vapor given off from the chips passes along a bamboo tube into a cooling box, where it condenses in the form of snowlike crystals. The cooling box is partially immersed in a stream of runn- ing water. The chips are renewed every 24 hours, while every eigth day or so the fire is extinguished and the crystals scraped off from the sides and bottom of the specialization box. The crude
 camplor is then placed in large tubs and allowed to settle, After short time the camphor oil. which is of yelloWish
 color, sinks to the bottom and is drawn off. The camphor itself, damp, and
 still containing certain proportion of oil Is packed in bags, transported by
 coolies to some convenient center, and
 thence to the refining factory at Tai
 peh, The. camphor oil. still containing large proportion of camphor, is sent to Japan, where 1t Is subjected to an 1 elaborate and somewhat expensive treatment. In the works at Taipeh the crude camphor is dealt with by var fious techical processes of drying, heat ing, and evaporation, and is prepared as refined 'A-grade camphor" or as i Improved crude The value of the
 camphor monopoly, which extends to Japan as well as Formosa, is very considerable, producing revenue of ] about aS00,0O0 a year. The actual
 workers are paid for the crude camphor
 at the rate of G3 picul of 13S pounds. l This sum, though 1t represents a con-
 siderable profit on their actual out Hay and working expenses, is but a I fair recompense for the risks to which
 they are exposed and the expenses in
 cured in the upkeep of armed guards
 for their protection. In the foreign
 market A camphor realizes about e1O 14s. a picul, crude camphor es, los.
 Allowing for a reasonable increase in 1 the worlds. demand, it is estimated
 that Formosa contains sufficient cam phor to supply the world for another 100 years. At the same time, while the
 Japanese may probably control the
 market, it is not so certain that they
 can control the savages, and the de- .velopnent of this valuable asset de- bends equally upon the success which
 attends her measures for the pacif1ca- l tion of these hostile tribes.
 Next to the camphor in interest, and
 probably greater in commercial import
 ance, is the tea industry. The quantity
 exported is small, amounting only to
 some 2O,OO0,0OO pounds a year, but the
 prices obtained are, pro rata, higher than those of any teas in the world.
 The chief market is in the United I States Formosa teas are known in the trade by the name of 'Oolongs," and l possess a highly aromatic flavor, which