THE MORE IMPORTANT PLANT PRODUCTS 67 



to be realized by the Western manufacturer. The U.S.A. 

 Department of Agriculture has introduced Aleurites Fordii 

 into its experimental stations, and expects to establish an 

 industry in the production of " T'ung oil " somewhere in the 

 United States of America. It is worthy of the serious attention 

 of countries other than the United States of America. In 

 South Africa, Australia, Algeria, Morocco, and other regions, 

 for instance, this tree would probably thrive, and its experi- 

 mental culture might with advantage be undertaken by the 

 various Departments of Agriculture in those British Colonies 

 and French Protectorates. Of all the varied economic vege- 

 table products of China, the wood oils are pre-eminently 

 of a kind to receive attention, with a view of establishing 

 the industry in Colonial possessions. 



Another member of the Spurge family yields the valu- 

 able Chinese " vegetable tallow " of commerce. This tree, 

 Sapium sehiferum, occurs in all the warmer parts of China, and 

 is remarkable for the beautiful autumnal tints of its foliage. 

 This tree is known by several colloquial names — in southern 

 China it is the " Chiu-tzu shu " ; in central parts the " Mou-tzu 

 shu " ; in the west the " Ch'uan-tzu shu." It is a long-lived 

 tree, growing 40 to 50 feet tall, and having a girth of 5 or 6 feet 

 at maturity. In Hupeh, where the industry is well looked 

 after, the larger branches are kept " headed in " to facilitate 

 the gathering of the fruits. The fruits are three-celled, 

 flattened-ovoid, about 15 mm. in diameter. When ripe they 

 are blackish-brown and woody in appearance, and are either 

 gathered from the trees by hand or knocked off by the aid of 

 bamboo poles. After being collected, the fruits are spread 

 in the sun, where they open, and each liberates three elliptical 

 seeds, which are covered with a white substance. This covering 

 is a fat or tallow, and is removed by steaming and rubbing 

 through a bamboo sieve having meshes sufficiently small to 

 retain the black seeds. The fat is collected and melted ; 

 afterwards it is moulded into cakes, in which state it is known 

 as the " Pi-yu " of commerce. After the fatty covering has 

 been removed the seeds are crushed, and the powdered mass 

 undergoes the same processes as are described for extracting 

 wood oil. The oil expressed from the seeds is the " Ting-yu " 



