SEED OILS 159 



thus formed from the remaining oil, found that bitaog oil con- 

 tains 71.55 per cent of fatty oil and 28.45 per cent of resin. 

 The resin is dark brown in color and melts at 30° to 35°. It 

 is soluble in benzine, carbon disulphide, petroleum ether, alcohol, 

 and other organic solvents. The resin had an iodine value of 

 125.2 and the acid number (milligrams of caustic potash re- 

 quired to neutralize one gram of resin) was 180.8. 



Since bitaog oil consists of a resin dissolved in a neutral oil, 

 it is really a natural varnish and may be useful in the varnish 

 industry. 



Watt * says that the nuts are collected twice a year in India, 

 and that they yield 60 per cent of oil. 



The seeds of other species of Calophyllum, especially Calo- 

 phyllum hlancoi PI. and Tr., also yield an oil used for illum- 

 inating purposes. 



Calophyllum inophyllum has been grown sucessfully in planta- 

 tions at Los Bafios. In most cases the seeds showed fairly high 

 percentages of germination. The average rates of growth of 

 considerable numbers of trees are given in Table 27. 



Table 27. — Growth of Calophyllum inophyllum (bitaog) in plantations 



at Los Banos, Laguna. 



Age. 



Years. 

 2. - 



According to Crevost f the growth of this species seems to 

 be very rapid, and at the end of two years some seedlings begin 

 to produce fruits. He says that in less than four or five years 

 one can hardly count on anything like a normal, annual produc- 

 tion which would perhaps be about 20 to 40 kilos according to the 

 age of the tree. Several highways in Cochinchina and Annam 

 are entirely bordered with this species. 



Calophyllum inophyllum is usually a medium-sized or large 

 tree with a very short bole and dense, wide-spreading crown. 

 It occurs on sandy beaches throughout the Islands. The bark 



* Watt, George, The commercial products of India, (1908). 

 t Crevost, Ch., Bulletin Economique de I'lndochine, New Series, Volume 

 8 (1906), page 392. 



