102 THE ARGAN TREE OF MAROCCO. 



" The hard shell probably should be sent home with the seed, when 

 the kernels are required to yield a sweet oil ; for unless prepared with 

 great care, hardly to be expected in a wild country, the oil would ndt 

 be nearly so sweet if sent home expressed, instead of in its kernel and 



■ 



shell. Perhaps if the kernel is pounded and rammed tightly into casks, 

 we might obtain sweet oil without great waste in freight*/' 



In a botanical point of view this plant is scarcely of less interest 

 than in an economical. It has had the hard fate, often the consequence 

 of being with difficulty procured, to be much misunderstood, and^ except 

 by Schousboe, is imperfectly described; and references are given in 



* While in the act of committing our MS, to press, we have the pleasure to re- 

 ceive from M. le Vicomte de Noe, of Paris, a very interesting " Memoire sur YArga- 

 nia, recommande comme plante oleagineuse," published in the * Eevue Horticolc de 

 Paris/ for April, 1853, This was prepared by that nobleman in consequence of the 

 French Minister of Marine having received fruits of the Argan from the Captain of 

 the frigate Maisonnenve, who, while on the Marocco station in lS52j heard reports 



of the value of the oil and of the wood of Argcinia Sideroxglon, and couceived that 

 the tree would succeed in the southern provinces of France. The author then gives 

 a detailed history of the plant, describing it from specimens in the Paris Herbaria, 

 etc. "We find him in error only in attributing to Schousboe the credit of consti- 

 tuting a new genus of the plant. 



The conclusions to which he comes in regard to naturalizing the plant in France, 

 are thus expressed : — " Nous avons dit plus haut que I'arbrisseau Africain se rencon- 

 tre localise dans un espace tres borne, et qu'il est accoutume a une temperature 

 donnee et a une humidite reguliere et prolougee, sans lesquelles son fruit ne pourrait 

 ni croitre ni murir. Cette influence chaude et hygrometrique de Tatmosphere, qui lui 

 est si necessaire, ue se rencontre point dans nos climats. 11 est done pen probable que 

 I'on parvienne a la naturaliser ea France. Les Botauistes, qui savent que jusqu'ici 

 aucun representant de la famiUe des Sapotees ne croit en Europe, doivent regarder 

 comme certain le non-succes des tentatives d'acclimatation qui seraient faites." 



On the nature and relative value of this oil M. le Vicomte comes to a different 

 conclusion from our friend Mr. Wilson ; but it is to be observed that the latter gen- 

 tleman's results are derived from oil expressed by himself from fresh nuts, scientifi- 

 cally extracted, while M. de Noe's views are based upon the account of the oil pre- 

 pared by the ignorant Moors, as related by Schousboe. 



"Admettons d'ailleurs, pour un moment," he continues, "que VArgania Sideroxy- 

 lon puisse etre naturalise, et voyons si Thuile qu'on extrait de ses semences pourrait 

 etre livree au commerce avee quelque profit. Ce que nous avons rapporte de Todeur 

 et de la saveur de cette huile suffit pour ecarter deja toute pensee de la faire servir & 

 des usages aiimentaires. Resterait Teclairage, la fabrication du savon, le corroyage 

 des cuirs ; raais ici encore elle trouverait une concurrence redoutable dans les huiles de 

 Colza, de Navette, de Moutafde, de Cameline, connues sous la denomination d'huiles 

 de graines, qui saurout toujours meriter la preference de I'industrie pour leur abon- 

 dance, leur qualite superieure et le bon marche." — For the sake of the wood, however, 

 "qui est dur, fort beau, et qui trouverait incontestablement un debit avantageux 

 pour les ouvrages de marqueterie," M. de Noe strongly recommends its cultiva- 

 tion in Algeria : aud when, in addition to that, we consider the forage for cattle 

 yielded by the husks, and the oil, as described by one so competent to judge as Mr. 

 Wilson, we are fully justified in urging the cultivation of the Argan in our warm 

 colonies, and iu many parts of the East ludia Company's possessious. 



