244 



' The large and continuous trade in this class of wood is indicated 

 in the returns given hx tlie Customs iu '' Trade of the United 

 Kingdom '' (vol. i. 1913, p. 201), the imports for 1912 being, from 

 Russia 1,276,523 loads, value £1,920,653; Sweden, 322,344 loads, 

 value £479,266; :N'orway, 111,349 loads, value £179,511; 

 Germany, 18,554 loads, value £30,419; France, 838,450 loads, 

 value £719,970; Portugal, 271,190 loads, value £245,384; and 

 Spain, 80,357 loads, value £74,206. The price per English ton, 

 f.o.b. Bordeaux, may vary from 14s. 9d- to 18s., and the freight 

 from 4s. 6d. to 8s, per ton — 4s. 6d. to 4s, 9d. per ton in 1914 are, 

 it is reported, the lowest rates ever quoted — (Cons, Rep. I.e.). 

 Those from the northern countries would probably be Picea 

 ecuc&lsa^ and from the southern Piinis Pinaster^ altliough it ought 

 to be mentioned that the ^^ Stone " or ^'Umbrella " Pine (Pinus 

 Pinea), of the Mediterranean region — a very similar wood to that 

 of the last mentioned — and the Silver Fir (Abies pectinata) from 

 the mountains of Central and S, Europe, are used for a similar 

 purpose in mines. 



Incidental to this subject two interesting specimens were 

 observed, one a lichen (Parmeh'a caperata^ Ach) — the ^^ wrinkled 

 sulphur Parmelia/' frequent, especially in mountainous disti^icts 

 of Europe, occurring on the Himalayas, in jN'ew Zealand, and 

 other parts of the world — on a piece of bark of a French Pit Prop 

 (Pinus Pinaster), picked up from a heap lying on the deck of the 

 SS. " Torvore,'' and the other, a petrified pit prop at tlie Rovul 

 Institution of South Wales — one of the exhibits at the recepticm 



iven to the members of the Conference by the ex-President of tlie 



nstitute. 



Cotton seed (Gossifpivm spp.). — Many tons in bags of Uganda 

 seed, shipped from Mombasa, May 1913, were stored, belonging 

 to Messrs. John Robinson and Company, Limited, and the 

 "Clan Chattan '* from Calcutta had just arrived with 3000 tons 

 of cotton seed for tlie same firm. By a special favour the writer 

 was shown over their mills, and the various stages through which 

 the cotton seed passes from the removal of the '' lint '' and '' fuzz '^ 

 to the pressing out of the oil and drying of the cake for feedino- 

 purposes were of exceptional interest. Egyptian seed is also 

 crushed largely there, 



" Cottolene,'' a lard-like substance, composed of cotton seed oil 

 and Oleo-stearine from New Orleans, and Cotton Cake, Silcocks' 

 Lucky Star" and meal from Liverpool were stored in Messrs. 



ft 



^v 



Soj Bean {Glycine Soja), crushed at the above mills, tlioiigli 

 notliing at the momeiit was being done willi it. A store of cake 



was seen. 



This bean came into prominence a few vears ago, and full 

 particulars of it are given in K. B., Additional series, ix., part 2, 



pp. 211-2U. ^ 



Manila Hemp (Mu.m te-rtiUs) ; bundles of ''binder " twine made 

 of this fibre stood in a warehouse, King Edward Dock, Avonmouth, 

 recently landed from the SS. "Englishman," from Montreal; 

 each bundle contained 10 balls, tota.1 weight about 56 lbs. 



Horse TJeans (Virin Vnhn. v.nr pnuinn\ • rn.inTr <-r«»i£> ,'^ V>.^™., -^^-^^ 



o 



