THE ARGAN TREE OF MAROCCO. 101 



used without other preparation in cooking, it has a stimulating and 

 pungent taste, which is long felt on the gums. The vapour which 

 arises, when anything is fried in it, affects the lungs and occasions 

 coughing. The common people use it generally without preparation ; 

 but in better houses it is the custom, in order to take off that pun- 

 gency, to mix it previously with water or to put a bit of bread into it 

 and let it simmer before the fire. 



" The wood, which is hard, tough, fine-grained, and of a yellow colour, 

 is used in house-carpentry, and for other purposes/* 



We have been at some pains to distribute the seeds of this plant, 

 with which we have been liberally supplied, to various parts of the 

 East Indies, and to such of our Colonies as appeared suited to the 

 growth of this tree, in respect of climate, etc. It is impossible for 

 seeds to be in better condition ; and though the surrounding hard por- 

 tion or nut is as thick and solid as that of a hickory, those wliich we 

 ourselves sowed sprouted in less that a month from the time they were 

 put in the ground. The young trees too bore the rough treatment of 

 the voyage in midwinter remarkably well; and it is easy to see that 

 this is a plant of ready culture in favourable climates. 



The value of the husks of the fruit as food for cattle, and the uses of 

 the wood, are mentioned in the above extracts. The nature of the oil 

 seems only to have been considered in relation to olive oil. But vege- 

 table oils are now so much in demand, especially by the Messrs. Price and 



Co., for their great candle-works at Vauxhall, as well as at Birkenhead 

 near Liverpool, that I was anxious to know the opinion of Mr. G. F. 

 Wilson, the scientific director of those vast establishments, on the 

 nature of the Argan oil. Some seeds were conset^uently communicated 

 to that gentleman, and he lost no time in experimenting upon them, 

 and assuring me that "they contain a large percentage of a veiy fine 

 oil. We have tried it in several ways, in each case with a favourable 

 result. Some is now being exposed to a severe test, to show how the 

 air acts upon it; I have however little fear that it will answer. Our 

 city friends are inquiring for us the best means of getting a ton or 

 two of the nuts for experiments on a large scale. The only unfavour- 

 ble point I see is the small weight of kernel to that of hard shell ; 



" 6 Nuts gave — kernel 30 grains. 



i> 



99 



hard shell 350 grains, 

 outer husk 193 grains. 



