" The Bosiuellia serrata (Salai) gumresin enquiry is now approaching a definite conclusion. During the year samples of the oil and rosin, products of steam distillation, were forwarded for valuation to the Imperial Institute, London. The report on these has been received and is to the effect that the oil closely resembles American Turpentine Oil except as regards smell and is of excellent quality and will readily command a market, the rosin on the other hand is of poor quality, the defects being low saponification value and bad odour. Another experiment is now being carried out under the solvent process. The quality of the gum and resin produced by this process appears to be far superior to that produced by steam distillation and samples are therefore being forwarded to the Imperial Institute for a further report.
As regards the prospects of an industry arising from the tapping of Boswellia it cannot be said that these are at present very hopeful, the chief obstacles being the relatively small amount of resin exuded and consequently the high cost of the crude product. Reports from the local forest officers also indicate that tapping may permanently damage the trees so that investigation on this point, viz., whether the trees are damaged by tapping, as well as the best of methods of tapping to obtain the maximum yield is to be under- taken during the coming working season." Annual Report of the Board of Scientific advice for India, 1914-15 pp. 128-129.
253. — Garuga pinnata, Roxb. h. f. b. i, i. 528 ; Roxb. 370.
Vern : — Kûrak (Bomb.); Kûsimbâ also kâkad (Concan) ; Garuga or garugoo (Tel.) ; Joom (B.)
Habitat : — Throughout India.
A large, deciduous tree. Bark lin. thick, soft red inside, grey or brown outside, exfoliating in large irregularly shaped scales. Wood variable : sapwood white, large ; heartwood reddish brown, moderately hard, even-grained. Pores large, not numerous, often subdivided, sometimes filled with resin. Medullary rays short, moderately broad, on a radial section, visible as narrow horizontal plates, and giving a pretty silvergrain (Gamble). Young shoots and inflorescence grey pubescent. Leaves imparipinnate, crowded near the ends of the branches. Leaflets 0-9 pair, opposite or nearly so ; lanceolate, or ovate- lanceolate, crenate. Flowers yellow, or pale-yellow, in axillary panicles, several at the end of branches. Calyx campanulate, 10-ribbed, 5-cleft, lined by a thin disk, with a crenate margin, on the edges of which the 5 petals and 10 stamens are
