SPICES, DRUGS, OILS, ETC.

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produced from the bases of the leaves of the palmyra palm
(Borassus flabellifer) and the kitul (Caryote wrens), The
latter is grown in the Kandyan districts; the former takes
the place of the cocoanut in the drier Tamil districts of the
north and east, affording many of the necessaries of life
to the people. An ancient Tamil song in praise of this palm
enumerates no less than 801 different uses to which its
parts may be applied.
Many native plants yield useful fibres, but there is no
trade in these other than purely local. Lately, with the
rise of price of cotton, an attempt is being made by Govern.
ment to resuscitate this industry, once of some importance,
in the drier northern districts now being opened up by
railwavs and irrication.

Dyes and Tanning Substances.

Ceylon produces many of these for local use, but the
exports are few and insignificant. Of dyes, sapanwood
(Ceesalpinia Sapan) and annatto paste (prepared from the
seeds of Biza Orellana) may be mentioned. Of tans, many
barks (more especially, of late, that of the Australian black
wattle, Acacia decurrens, cultivated at high levels) and a
few other substances, such as gallnuts or myrobolans (fruits
of Terminalia chebila) are employed.

Oils are usually divided into two classes, fixed oils
extracted from seeds or fruits by pressure, and essential
or volatile oils, obtained by distillation from different parts
of plants. Of the former, by far the most important in
Ceylon is cocoanut oil, already described.” There are numerous
 other fixed oils locally employed, but there is little
export of any of them. Small quantities of castor, gingelly
kekuna, margosa, and other fixed oils are sometimes exported,
Of essential oils there are several. Citronella is so important
 as to need a paragraph to itself; cinnamon oil has
heen mentioned under cinnamon ; a third important one is
lemon grass oil, distilled from the leaves of lemon grass, a
coarse grass cultivated in the Southern Province. Like
citronella oil, it is chiefly used in making scented soaps:
the export is, however, small. :
Citronella Oil is the essential oil of a large coarse grass
the citronella grass, a cultivated variety of the common
mana grass of Ceylon (4 ndropogon Nardus). Itiscultivated
on about 30,000 acres of open rolling hills in the southern
part of the Island, giving the country an aspect not