I. AGRICULTURE AND RURAL ECONOMY. 317 



amount of honey. The average production of seeds may be 

 estimated at fifty bushels to the acre, yielding fifty gallons 

 of oil. This is said to be equal to olive-oil for table use, and 

 is well adapted to burning in lamps, soap-making, and paint- 

 ing. The refuse of the above quantity of seed will produce 

 1500 pounds of oil-cake, and the stalks may be either burnt 

 to furnish potash, or, when treated like flax, may be made to 

 yield a fibre as soft as silk, and in large quantity. 17 A, 

 1871, June 1, 83. 



USES OF THE GROUND-NUT. 



The rapidly increasing production of the ground or pea 

 nut {Arachis hypogcea) is adding an important feature to the 

 agricultural resources of the United States, which appears to 

 be especially adapted to its cultivation. In addition to the 

 uses to which it is applied by us, it is said that a large pro- 

 portion of the so-called olive-oil in the market, and used es- 

 pecially in the arts, is obtained from the ground-nut. In 

 China the same oil is used both for food and for purposes of 

 illumination, the refuse cake remaining after the abstraction 

 of the oil furnishing a good manure. 19 A, February 18, 123. 



FAILURE OF THE ATTEMPT TO RAISE MADDER IN ENGLAND. 



The commercial value of madder, so extensively used in 

 dyeing, has of course led to its cultivation on a large scale in 

 various parts of the world, and we find in a late number of 

 the Chemical JYeics the details of some experiments of this 

 nature made in England. The results, however, are stated 

 to have been quite unsatisfactory, since, although the roots 

 were about equal in size to fine French roots, on breaking 

 them they proved to be orange or yellow instead of a deep 

 red color. The dyeing properties were also very disappoint- 

 ing, as the colors looked full out of the dye, but on being 

 cleared with soap they were found to be loose and to resem- 

 ble Dutch madder, the reds and pinks being weak and loose, 

 and the purple element entirely wanting. Although this 

 experiment was not decisive, yet Mr. Sidebotham, who had 

 conducted it, is inclined to think that madder of a good col- 

 or can not be grown in England. 1 A, 1871, March 24, 136. 



