CALCUTTA AND MADRAS MILLS 



bags are being pressed. This i* said to increase the yield by 10 per* be- 



lieved some of the noxious properties u( the seed aro then li.ii .1- t > po** into the oil. 

 The castor-oil mills of Calcutta use up on an average cloee on 700,000 owt. 

 of seed, drawn mainly by the railwayH tri mce of Bengal and from 



tin- I A in. .--,. I !>.- quantities obtained iron. r provinoea are 



in. ..ii-; ::..!.;.-. Tlio large-seeded form. v\i, nuinly 11*0, com** from 



i In- IIP .\ incei nan ic, I, \\liilo the small-seeded is derived fi .uinly 



;mp..rt.-<i bj , ,. i-io steamers. There were in Bengal 75 oil-mills that gave, 

 in l '.04, employment to 2,836 person*. These doubtless are mainly Calcutta 

 mills, concerned chiefly, if not entirely, in the prodm-ti<>n . .f castor, and furnish 

 the quantities of that oil exported from Calcutta to foreign countries. As oom- 

 \\iih --so figures, Madras had 24 oil-mills that employed 1.476 persons 

 I 1 '" ;. ut these are not by any means so largely cantor-oil mills as is the 

 case in Calcutta. The total of the oil-mills in all India came, in lum. t.. 11 2, so that 

 the Calcutta and Madras series represent by far the major interest* in the traffic. 

 Dunn- thai ;. .-ur Bombay possessed only two oil-mills with 220 employees. 



Halted Province*. Two different methods of extracting the oil prevail in 

 these provinces. In one the seed is pounded and boiled, and in the other pressed 

 in u mill. The former is the method \\lm-li n.i-ht be described as pursued by 

 Mimll growers and for domestic purposes. 



The seeds are cleaned by various processes, roasted, pounded, and then 

 boiled in water. The oil rises to the surface an- 1 l>\ different contrivances is 

 skimmed off or decanted, and the boiling continued, the mixture being repeatedly 

 stirred until exhausted of its oil, the last dreg* rising t<> t)i<> surface as the 

 cools. The water mixed with the oil is next removed by reboiling until it 

 evaporates ; the impurities at the same timr .-ink t.> the l..it-.ni. while the pure 

 oil floats on the top and is decanted. The bhurji* (or professional grain-parchers) 

 are the persons who by caste are alone permitted to roast castor-oil seeds and 

 prepare the oil by the above method when required for commercial purposes, 

 All others would be outcasted were they to engage in the traffic, except for purely 

 domestic necessities. 



The extraction by pressing-mills may now be briefly described. About 

 15 seers are cleaned and husked by beating with a stone, the result being about 

 12 seers of kernel. That quantity is then placod in the ordinary wooden oil- 

 mill. About one seer of boiling water is then added and the outlet of the mill 

 plugged up until about half a seer of oil has been formed or, say, after the 

 kernels have been ground for 10 to 12 minutes. Meanwhile, also, the contents of 

 the mortar are constantly heated by means of a burning torch, since heat facilitates 

 the flow of oil. The oil that collects from the mill is removed, heated, and again 

 poured back through the mill to help the further separation, and this is repeated 

 until the cake produced has been exhausted. The whole of the oil is then boiled 

 to drive off the water and cause the precipitation of the impurities. The oil 

 produced under this method is regarded as superior to that obtained by the 

 boiling process. The average yield is about 33 per cent. 



European Machinery and Method*. Here and there all over the country, 

 more especially at the jails, castor-oil is manufactured by modern European 

 machinery. Certain centres are even famous for this oil, such as Calcutta and 

 Madras (in the latter Presidency more especially at Godavari, Kistna, Nellore 

 and Coimbatore). But in Europe and America improved and expensive ma- 

 chinery has raised the standard of the oil as well as lowered *he cost of production, 

 the result being that the competition has told seriously on the antiquated methods 

 followed in India as a whole (Capital, Jan. 24, 1894). It has, for example, 

 been found unnecessary to husk the seed, since the husk neither absorbs oil nor 

 imparts colour ; and by using the whole seed. 4 1 -93 per cent, of oil may be ob- 

 tained by some of the newer and more satisfm -t.-ry systems. These include a 

 hydraulic press but dispense with crushing-rollers, kettle, moulding machine and 

 cloths economics that have effected a great saving on the older methods. 

 Industrial Uses The oil is largely burned, some few years ago 

 more extensively than at the present time. It is believed to i:; 

 cooler and brighter light than other vegetable and mineral oils, aiul to 

 burn more steadily. Twenty-five to thirty years ago, at most, every 

 European resident in India, and all the wealth!. -r Natives as well, employed 

 either castor-oil or cocoa-nut oil exclusively for house illumination (see 



921 



RICINUS 

 COMMUN18 

 Oil 



Calcutta 



I .:. ' 



MadiM-, 

 Mills. 



.: ill ' 

 Kxtnotfoo. 



OMU 



;: ... . v."v.< r 

 at Applied. 



Yield. 



Standard oC 



OU 



to M 



Industrial 



Uses. 



Illumina- 

 tion. 



