293 



As is well known it is used in preferejice to other oils for dress- 

 ing hides and skins, morocco leather, and generally all kinds of 

 leather goods, belting, hoots, harness, etc. as it makes leather soft 

 and pliable. 



It fulfills particulai'ly well the functions of a first-class lubri- 

 cant as being a heavy bodied oil and very viseons, it forms an 

 effective film between moving parts of machinery and keeps them 

 free from friction, and for that reason, it is used in preference to 

 other oils, in concei-ns — estates and mines — wlierc internal com- 

 bustion engines are employed. 



It is said that, mixed with a soda-l\e. Castor-oil has the pro- 

 perty of impaiting trans) tarency to the resulting soap and it is 

 nsed for that purpose by soap-makers. 



It enters into the composition of unguents and pomatums in 

 ]3erfumery in Europe as well as in India, where it is used avs an 

 ointment to keep the skin cool and open. In Italy, the well known 

 "Olio di Eicini a I'Inglese" is, or was, in common nse. 



Among the less known uses to wliich Castor-oil is put is that 

 of binding agent for certain insulating compounds which enter in 

 the composition of " Enamel Wire " which is very largely em- 

 ployed for cables. Tlie "Western Electric Company of New York 

 import for their own works alone 30.000 gallons of Castor-oil nsed, 

 in great part, for that one pui-pose. 



Castor-oil imparts fastness and lustre to the dyes nsed for 

 cotton and woollen goods — and made under the name of Turkey- 

 Eed oil, after treatment in concentrated sulphnric acid. It is pre- 

 ferred by dyers as fixing agent for all alizarine colours. 



Castor-oil is in great demaaid as lubricant for aeroplane-motors, 

 owing to the fac^t that it is unaffected ])y a wide range of tem- 

 perature. 



Cases did occur during the war when, travelling at great 

 altitudes, the oil congealed and failed to run into the bearings of 

 the engine which would then get red hot, and fatal accidents were 

 traced to this cause : but, it would appear from the " Chemdst and 

 Druggist" of 20th Fel)ruary, 1920, that means have since been 

 found to prevent Ciastor-oij from congealing while retaining its 

 lubricating properties. 



From the same source, we also learn that casein combined 

 with Oastor-oil is now manufactured into flakes which mixed with 

 water ]iroduce a perfect enmlsion with the taste of milk. 



The value of castor-cake as a fertiliser is very high, and a 

 market exists for every ]X)und of it produced. 



Its medicinal properties are well known to all. 



As a last resource, it can be used like other oil-seed cakes to 

 generate \gas for lighting or for driving machinery. This conver- 

 sion of cake into gas is in practice in several towns of India, and 

 Dudgeon gives us in ' Agricultural and Forest Products of West 

 Africa'' an instance of Cotton-seed cake being put to the same 

 use in an oil-mill at Ibadan (South Nigeria) -where it was found 

 that 6 hundredweiglit of such cake is sufficient to generate gas to 

 drive a 30 h.p. engine for 9^ hours. 



