CHAP. cv. CORYLA'CEA:. FAMOUS. 1963 



in a most extraordinary manner ; and by squirrels and dormice, which last, 

 Evelyn says, " harbouring in the hollow trees, grow so fat, that, in some 

 countries abroad, they take infinite numbers of them, I suppose to eat. What 

 relief they give to thrushes, blackbirds, fieldfares, and other birds, every body 

 knows." (///. Evel.y i. p. 137.) It is said greatly to improve the flavour 

 of wild pigeons. In France, beech mast is much eaten by pheasants and 

 partridges ; and turkeys and other kinds of poultry are fattened by it in a 

 very short time. In Britain, the only use, at present, made of this mast is 

 by turning swine, deer, and poultry, into beech woods, to pick it up ; but, in 

 France, it forms a most important article of domestic consumption, for 

 making oil. Beech oil is considered not only excellent for burning in lamps, 

 but also for cooking, and especially for frying fish. The French cooks put a 

 crust of bread into the pan with the oil, which they take out when it is suffi- 

 ciently hot to put in the fish. The oil fries a fine brown; and, if it burns, does 

 not produce a disagreeable smell, like that of other oils. The forests of Eu 

 and of Crecy, in the department of the Oise, it is stated in the Nouveau Du 

 ]I(i>/ic/,hi\ve yielded, in a single season, more than 2,000,000 bushels of mast; 

 and Michaux adds that, in 1779, the forests of Compiegne near Verberie, 

 department of the Somme, afforded oil enough to supply the wants of the 

 district for more than half a century. In some parts of France, the nuts are 

 roasted, to serve as a substitute for coffee. 



Mode of making Beech Oil. When required for the table, this oil is pre- 

 pared with great care, and is thought very little inferior to that of the olive. 

 The nuts are first cleared from their shells by shaking them in sieves, and 

 then winnowing them : they are next spread out to dry in some airy place, as 

 the least mouldincss or appearance of germination in the nut will' spoil it. 

 The best time for extracting the oil is between December and March. The 

 nuts are separated from their outer brown skin by heating in an oven, or 

 before the fire, and then rubbing them with the hands ; or by slightly bruising 

 them in a mill, and then winnowing them. If labour is cheap, they may also 

 be deprived of their inner skin, a very thin pellicle, which is very acrid. When 

 blanched, they should, as soon as possible, be reduced into a paste by pound- 

 ing them in a mortar, or by grinding them in a mill made on tb.e principle of 

 a coffee-mill. In either case, the implements employed must be perfectly 

 clean, as the least particle of rancid oil will spoil the whole. Hot water is 

 not sufficient to clean them, but alkaline ashes must be employed; after which 

 they must be rinsed several times with pure water. When the nuts are reduced 

 to a paste, a little water is put to them, which may be either cold or warm, 

 according to the quality of the oil reqmred ; and they are then put into per- 

 fectly clean linen or hair cloths, and pressed very slowly, to prevent the oil 

 from becoming clogged. When a very fine oil is wanted, cold water is used, 

 and a low temperature ; but, where it is wished to obtain a greater quantity, 

 warm water is used, and the press is kept in a moderately warm temperature. 

 After the first pressing, the mass, or tourteau, as it is called in France, is 

 again bruised, and, more water being added, it is again pressed. The oil pro- 

 duced by the process of warm extraction is about a tenth part of the weight of 

 the nuts : this oil is rendered very nearly, if not quite, equal in quality to that of 

 the olive, by putting it into casks, or unglazed earthen vessels, and placing them 

 in a cool cellar. At the end of two or three months, the oil is examined, and 

 drawn off into fresh casks or vessels, leaving a considerable quantity of muci- 

 lage at the bottom. This process is repeated three times during the first year; 

 after which the oil is put into Florence oil flasks, and buried in sand in a 

 cellar. The flasks should be always kept upright, and the oil drawn off from 

 the mucilage which it will deposit into fresh flasks every year. Thus treated, 

 it will keep 10 years, and improves by keeping, at least during the first 5 or 

 G years ; beech oil, about 6 years old being reckoned the best. The tourtran.r t 

 or remains of the nuts, from which the best oil has been extracted, are given 

 to swine, cows, and poultry, which fatten rapidly on them. A coarser oil, for 

 burning, is made by grinding the mast without taking off the shells ; and the 



