1586 EXPERIMENTAL AND ANALYTICAL WORK 



7.4 per cent of moisture and yielded 23.6 per cent of brownish yellow 

 oil which had the following constants : 



Specific gravitj^ at I5°C 0,923 



Solidifying point of fattj' acids SCSOC 



Acid value (mgms. potash per i gm. oil) 8.4 



Saponification value i9i-4 



Iodine value 11 7.1 per cent 



Hehner value 95.1 



The oil is very similar to that obtained from other cucnrbitaceous seeds. 

 The residual meal left after extraction contains no alkaloids or cyanoge- 

 netic glucosides ; it has a high percentage of fibre and a low food value 

 (Table II). 



Colocynth pulp from the Sudan. — Colocynth is the name given 

 to the peeled dried fruits of Citrullus Colocynthis, the material freed from 

 seeds constituting the drug known in the British Pharmacopoeia as colo- 

 cynth pulp. Before the war, it was largely obtained from Turkey and 

 Austria and recently considerable quantities have been exported from 

 the Sudan. The sample under examination was of good quality and 

 was valued at is 3 ^ per lb. 



Papermaking materials from South Africa. — Tambookie or tamboo- 

 tie grass {Cymhopogon Nardus var. vallidus) is said to grow luxuriantly 

 over large tracts of country in the Transvaal reaching a maximum height 

 of 5ft. 6 in. The results of the chemical examination of the grass is 

 shown in Table III. A high yield of pulp of good quality and easity bleach- 

 ed was obtained, and from it a strong paper was prepared. The grass 

 was valued at £4 per ton. 



A sample of papyrus from Zululand consisted of greenish yellow 

 pithy stems averaging 7ft in length and I in. in diameter at the base, 

 each with a tuft of narrow pointed leaves (about 14 ins. long) at the top. 

 The proportion of stems to leaves in the sample was as 4 to i. Results 

 of the chemical examination are given in Table III. The yields of pulp 

 are comparatively low, but the material might be used with profit if 

 worked up near its place of production. 



African -mid silk. — The only African insects which produce silk in 

 important quantities are those belonging to the different species of Anaphe 

 (fam. Eupterodidae) . The most important of these found on British 

 territory are : 



A. infracta in Nigeria and Uganda 



A. venata in Nigeria and the Gold Coast 



A. moloneyi in Nigeria 



A. ambrizia in Uganda 



A. panda in Natal 



A. reticulata in Natal. 



All these insects form silken nests or colonies within which each worm 

 spins its own cocoon. The nests vary considerably in size and form ; 



