THE CHINESE WOOD OIL 



East India 

 Walnut. 



ALEURITES 



TRILOBA 



Chinese Varnish 



subdivided, showing up prominently as dark streaks on vertical section ; lastly 

 the medullary rays are fine, short-distant and shallow. Recently A. J>,66efc 

 has found its way to Europe under the name of " East Indian Walnut," being 

 exported mainly from the Andaman Islands. [Cf. Handbook Imp. Inst.] It 

 grows rapidly, seasons, works and polishes well, and is fairly durable. It is said 

 to be taxed in Burma at a higher rate than teak- wood, a circumstance that 

 indicates the local value put on this timber. It is used for agricultural and 

 industrial instruments and appliances, for furniture and picture frames, and 

 cartwrights' work, etc. The timber of A. nmnm is very much like that of the 

 Siris only that it is purplish-brown with concentric light and dark bands. [Of. For. 

 Admin. Rept. Mad., 1897-8, app. i., 31.] The timber of A. o<?o>-fi<m<( turns 

 almost black with age, is largely employed for cart-wheels, etc. Lisboa says 

 that the wood of -*- vrwern has darker patches, but that it takes a fine polish 

 and is recommended for furniture. [Cf. Useful PI. Bomb., 1884, 70, etc.] 



As AVENUE and SHADE-TKEES most of the species are much admired. 

 .4. II,IKI HtiKi is a rapid-growing tree, introduced from Australia and completely 

 naturalised intheNilgiri hills. A. moiuccunu is another introduced species, and 

 one of the most stately and beautiful members of the genus. It was at one 

 time much cultivated by the coffee-planters of South India, but has got into 

 disfavour for that purpose because of the immense size it ultimately attains. 

 A. i> !<< i-n has been specially commended for cultivation on saline soils. [Of. 

 Ind. For., 1887, xiii., 339; 1888, xiv., 142; Ann. Rept. Dept. Land Rec. 

 and Agri., Beng., 1891-2, 23.] It is the species that first appears on the sandy 

 beds of rivers. But by far the greatest interest in the species of .ni>t**i centres 

 in A. *tiiti<itn. which is now very extensively grown as a shade-tree for tea, 

 both in Assam and Darjeeling. It is known as the aau in the former province 

 and the kala-siris in the latter. Its chief value turns on the nitrating warts 

 formed on its roots. [Cf. Watt and Mann, The Pests and Blights of the Tea 

 Plant, 140 ; Der Tropenpflanzer, 1901, v., 244.] 



Avenue 

 Trees. 



Tea and Coffee 

 Shade-trees. 



D.E.P., 

 i., 162 4. 



Oil. 



Trade Names. 



Drying. 

 Property. 



Lubricating Oil. 



Existence in 

 India. 



Method of 

 Preparation. 



ALEURITES FORDII, HemsL, Kew Bull, 1906, 117, 120; 

 Hooker, Ic. PL, tt. 2801, 2802 (confused with A. cordata by most authors) ; 

 EUPHORBIACE^: or SPURGEWORTS. A small tree, native of China but 

 successfully acclimatised in the Southern Shan States (between 1,500 and 

 3,000 feet in altitude) and to some extent also in Burma, Assam, Sikkim 

 and Nepal. Frequently met with near Buddhist monasteries, though in 

 some localities it appears to have escaped into the neighbouring jungles. 

 A. cordata, R. Br. ex Steud., has a wrinkled fruit and is found in Formosa, 

 Hainan and Tonkin and is cultivated in Japan. 



A. foraa yields an OIL known in commerce as Chinese Varnish or Tung Oil 

 and in some books is spoken of as Chinese Wood Oil, the latter name referring to its 

 special adaptability for varnishing wood (see p. 502). In fact the Chinese prefer to 

 coat boats and other woodwork with this oil rather than to paint them. It dries in 

 about four hours. It is chiefly prepared in the provinces of Ichang and Szechuen 

 and is employed in lacquering, varnishing and waterproofing, etc. The drying 

 property of the cold-expression oil exceeds that of any other known oil ; in fact 

 it would appear to be an exceedingly valuable substance, the properties of which 

 have been but indifferently appreciated in Europe. Of Japan it is said that 

 the tree flowers at the end of May or beginning of June. The fruit ripens in 

 autumn. Three to five seeds are contained in each fruit ; they afford an oil to 

 the extent of 37 per cent, which is pressed out, in ordinary practice cold, to the 

 extent of two-thirds of the possible yield. This oil, known in Japan by the 

 name of Dokuyenoabura, serves for filling the pores of wood before it is coated 

 with lac, or it is used when desired to protect wood against moisture. In Japan 

 it is also employed for lubricating machinery. 



A recent inquiry in India into the species that follows, led to information being 

 procured from the Southern Shan States regarding the present plant. It would 

 appear that in Kengtung the tree is fairly plentiful and the oil regularly pre- 

 pared, although the demand is but limited. It has been estimated that the 

 nuts of each tree might yield at least 50 ounces of oil. The kernels are first 

 pounded, then steamed in a basket placed over the mouth of a pot in which 

 water is boiled. The basket is next placed within a piece of bullock's skin and 



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