SECTION V. 



OLEAGINOUS PLANTS, AND THOSE YIELDING 

 FIXED OE ESSENTIAL OILS. 



FEW cultivators are probably aware of tlie great importance of 

 oil to this country, and the number of purposes for which it is 

 employed in the arts and manufactures. It is extensively used 

 for candle and soap making, for burning in lamps, for diminishing 

 friction in machinery of all kinds, and especially for locomotives 

 in wool-dressing, in the manufacture of paints and varnishes, as 

 an article of food, for medicinal purposes, &c. 



So important are vegetable oils deemed, that the Society of 

 Arts, in its prize list for 1851, offered gold medals for the im- 

 portation or introduction into this country of any new plants 

 or trees from China, India, or elsewhere, producing oils or fatty 

 substances, such as can be used as food, or are applicable to manu- 

 facturing purposes ; and also to the person who shall manufacture 

 and import the finest specimen of oil, not less than ten gallons, 

 the produce of olives grown in any British colony in Africa or 

 Australasia. 



The time of burning of equal quantities of the following oils has 

 been found to be 



Hours. 



Oil of poppy 14 



sunflower 13 



rape 11 



,, mustard llf 



flax seed 10 



Oil of gold of pleasure (Ca- 

 melina sativa) 



Hours. 



olives 



hemp seed ........ 8 



tallow ............ 10! 



FOREIGN VEGETABLE OILS IMPORTED. 



1821. 1845. 1850. 



tuns. tuns. tuns. 



Coco-nut oil .... .... 2,148 .... 98,040 



Olive oil 1,900 12,315 .... 20,783 



Palm oil 3,200 25,285 448,589 cwts. 



Rape seed oil . . 800 .... 3,973 



Linseed oil .... 10,500 .... 38,634 



16,400 82,355 



Fish oils .... 32,356 22,26 .... 21,328 



The total quantity of all kinds of wool annually consumed in Eng- 

 land and Wales, in 1843, was estimated at 801,566 packs. Now, five 



