152 AGRICULTURE AND FORESTRY. 



rape {Brassica chinensis, L.), called Na, Abura-na, or T6-na, is more 

 largely cultivated in Japan than all the other oil plants — so too in 

 China, I suppose — and, to the best of my observation, always as a 

 winter crop. Seed time is in September or October ; flowering in 

 April, and harvest in July. It is often planted side by side with 

 rice. In this case it is frequently raised in seed-beds, and trans- 

 planted in rows beside the rice. When Tane-na is heated before 

 pressing, you get the common Tane-abura ; with cold pressing, 

 however, the clearer and better Shira-shime or Shira-shibori, which 

 is used principally for oiling tools and machines. 



2. Karashi-no-abura, fat mustard-oil. This is manufactured 

 from the seeds of St7iapis cernua^ Thunb. (Karashi or Karashi-na), 

 and also from 5. integrifolia, Wild., the 0-garashi (big mustard), and 

 Taka-na (high rape) of the Japanese. It is clearer and softer than 

 rape-oil, and is therefore preferred to this for food. I found both 

 kinds very frequent in Kiushiu, e.g., in the province of Higo, and 

 was impressed by the appropriateness of the term Taka-na (high 

 rape) for th« one. Its stalks reach a height of about 2 m., and 

 hence stand high above those of rape, which it resembles. They 

 are raised at intervals of 15 to 20 cm. in rows that are about 85 cm. 

 apart. By the middle of April the mustard fields around Kuma- 

 moto were in full bloom, but the rape beside it had already 

 advanced beyond that stage. Mustard is used in Japan as with us, 

 for a sort of condiment, and its volatile oil is developed in the same 

 way ; but for the most part it is grown for similar purposes as rape. 



3. Tsubaki-n9-abura, Sasank'wa-no-abura, Cha-no-abura. Under 

 these names the thick oils from the nut-like seeds of the following 

 plants are known in Japan, where they are used principally for 

 the hair : Camellia japonica, L., Jap. Tsubaki, C. Sasanqiia, Thunb., 

 Jap. Sasank'wa, and C. ihetfera, Griffith, Jap. Cha. These con- 

 tain 30-35 per cent, of oil.^ 



Only those tea-nuts which are not needed for planting are used 

 for making tea-seed-oil. But the two other kinds of camellia are 

 grown specially for their oily seeds. Thus, for instance, in the 

 coast-country of Sendai and Nambu on the Pacific Ocean, between 

 latitude 38 and 40, camellias are planted either singly or in rows 

 along the edge of many a field or roadside. They are regular trees, 

 some of them having straight boles 4 to 6 m. high and 30 cm. in 

 diameter. Their shapely dark green crowns stand out sharp 

 against the fading foliage of most of the other growths, especially 

 in autumn. The fruit, which is round and the size of a pigeon's 

 Gggy becomes red-brown under the sun's direct rays. When over- 

 ripe it becomes dark and even black — inside as well as out — and 

 then bursts out in three spots, letting fall three long, angular, 

 dark grey nuts. 



The Tsubaki-no-abura that is got from them is the highest- 



^ With regard to the first two, see the chapter on ornamental plants. De- 

 tails as to C theifera {Thea chinesiSy Sims.) are to be found under '^a Tea. 



