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Candlenut Oil as an Industry 



(Tropical Agriculturist.) 



Candlenut is the local "tel-kekuna" or "rata-kekuna" and is the 

 Aleurites triloba of the scientist. 



One of the many ornamental trees naturalised in many parts 

 of India is the Belgaum or Indian walnut or candlenut tree 

 {Aleurites moluccana). The home of this tree stretches from 

 the Pacific Islands through the Malayan Archipelago to Further 

 India, and it is abundant in New Caledonia, Queensland and 

 New Guinea. It appears to prefer a protected situation, hence it 

 is common in the woods and especially plentiful in narrow valleys 

 and ravines up to an altitude of 2600 feet above sea level. Its 

 roundish fruits are about the size of a small apple and consist 

 of a thick fleshy rind, containing one or two heart-shaped seeds 

 which are very hard-shelled and of the size of a horse chestnut. 

 The oil, which is present to the extent of over 60%, is almost 

 colorless, rather thick and of agreeable taste and smell when cool 

 pressed. If warm pressed it is brown and disagreeable in taste. 

 It is highly prized for burning and serves as a lubricating oil and 

 for soap-making. The natives of the Pacific Islands take the nuts 

 out of the rind and roast them over a fire until the shell can be 

 broken with the tap of a stone. The kernels are then threaded on 

 a splinter of bamboo or on the midrib of a coconut leaf. They 

 then bind round a few strings of seeds with bark or leaves and 

 obtain a bright burning but sooty and disagreeably smelling 

 torch. This is the origin of the word "candlenut tree." The 

 torches, because they burn brightly, are used for fishing at night. 

 The half-ripe fruits with salt have a delicate flavor, but the ripe 

 fruits are unwholesome and only eaten in time of scarcity. 



The candlenut was not hitherto considered as of commercial 

 importance in Ceylon. The trees were growing wild and people 

 collected the seeds from which oil was pressed. But since kero- 

 sene came into general use, oil-pressing has been practically 

 abandoned and trees were cut and the timber used for making 

 tea chests, despoiling all -village gardens of trees on which the 

 saw could operate. 



This is a subject which hardly needs introduction to the local 

 residents, as the sight of the tel-kekuna or rata-kekuna tree — dis- 

 tinguishable at a glance from among the forest growth by the 

 silvery shade of the young foliage and noticeable as one passes 

 in the train or along the road — is too frequent to escape attention. 



Local Conditions. 



The tree is never cultivated but grows spontaneously in gar- 

 dens from self-sown seeds. It is quick-growing and begins to 



