SEMEN RICINI. -,71 



r 



duced ill India, where two varieties of the seeds, the largo and the small, 

 are distinguished, the latter being considered to yield the better pro- 

 duct. In manufacturing the oil, the seeds are gently crushed betweeu 

 rollers, and freed by hand from husks and unsound grains. At Calcutta, 

 100 parts of seed yield on an average 70 parts of cleaned kernels, which 

 by the hydraulic press afford 46 to 51 per cent, of their weight of oil; 

 the oil is afterwards subjected to a very imperfect process of purifica- 

 tion by heating it with water,^ 



The exports of castor oil from Calcutta^ in the year 1870-71 

 amounted to 054,917 gallons, of which 214,959 gallons wxre shipped to 

 the United Kingdom. The total imports of castor oil into the United 

 Kingdom^ in the year 1870 were returned as 3G,986 cwt. (about 410,000 

 gallons), valued at £82,490. Of this quantity, British India (chiefly 

 Bengal) furnished about two-thirds; and Italy 11,856 cwt. (about 

 133,000 gallons), while a small remainder is entered as from "other 

 parts." In 1870 the imports were 79,677 cwt., valued at £133,838. 



Italian Castor Oil, which has of late risen into some celebrity, is 

 pressed from the seed of plants grown chiefly about Yeronaand Legnago, 

 in the north of Italy. The manufactory of Mr. Bellino A^aleri 



at the 



latter town produced in the year 1873, 1200 quintals of castor oil, 

 entirely from Italian seed. Two varieties of Ricinus are cultivated in 

 these localities, the black-seeded Egyptian and the red-seeded American; 

 the latter yields the larger percentage, but the oil is not so pale in 

 colour. The seeds are very carefully deprived of their integiimcute, 

 and having been crushed, are submitted to pressure in powerful 

 hydraulic presses, placed in a room which in winter is heated to about 

 2r C. The outflow of oil is further promoted by plates of iron vvarmed 

 to 32-38^ C. being placed between the press-bags. The peeled seeds 



yield about 40 per cent, of oil.' , , ,. r i 



All the castor oil pressed in Italy is not pressed from Italian seed. 

 By an official return"^ it appears that in the year 1872-/3 there were 

 exported from Bombay to Genoa 1350 cwt. of castor oil seeds, besides 

 2452 gallons of castor oil There are no data to show what wa.s ex- 

 ported from the other presidencies of India m that year. 



Uses-Castor oil is much valued as a mild and f f%P"''^f 'T;,;!^),^^ 

 the commoner qualities are used in soap-making, and in India ^^^ ^'^^ "^| 

 in lamps. The seeds are not now administered. ^^^ J''' J!;^^^^^ 

 plant applied in decoction to the breasts of women are said to promote 

 nr aT.^^ i„ • ,1 .^:_„ ^f ,v,iiL- This property, wHicn nas 



_^ _^ pow 



the leaves are administered internally. 



Madras ExhlUtion o/Eaw Products, etc. ' ^.««««J J'.", presukncy of BorjJ>"!l/or 



of Southern /m//a,-Reports by the Juries, ^l^':'ifZfi i 87 88 



Madras, 1856. 28. ^ ^ 1872-73, P^^ i . 8 .^8b^^ ^^^^^^^ ^^^^^ ^^^ 



''Annual Volume of Trade and Navlja- ,„,™Yt --Turner in bis Herb.il (15C8) 



fionfor the Bengal Presidency for 1870-71, 1.' '>. ?;'•;;,, opposite character, for 



Calcutta, 1871. 119. g^^'^? . ineaves saya be, "swage the 



^Annual Statement of the Trade, etc. of the J^i'^"f \'''; sVellinee wyth to muche 



the U.K. for 1870. -No later returns. ^"' "^TSc '' 



^.^H. Groves, Pharm. Journ. viii. (1867) pleuty of miiue. 



