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18 0)1 the TalloiD'Tree and Insed-icax of China. ^ 



rich mould at the margin of canals, and on the sandy sea beach. 

 The sandy estuary of Haugchan yields little else ; some of the 

 trees at this place are known to be several hundred years old, and 

 though prostratedj still send forth branches and bear fruit. Some 

 are made to fall over rivulets, forming convenient bridges. They 

 are seldom planted where any thing else can be conveniently cul- 

 tivated — in detached places, in corners about houses, roads, canals, 

 and fields. Grafting is performed at the close of March, or early 

 in April, when the trees are about three inches in diameter, and 

 also when they attain their growth. The Fragrant Herbal recom- 

 mends 'for trial the practice of an old gardener, who instead of 

 grafting, preferred breaking the small branches and twigs, taking 

 care not to tear or wound the bark. 



In mid-winter, when the nuts are ripe, they are cut off with 

 their twigs, by a sharp cres-centric knife, attached to the extrem- 

 ity of a long pole, which is held in the hands, and pushed up- 

 wards against the twigs, removing at the same time such as are 

 fruitless. The capsules are gently pounded in a mortar to loosen 

 the seeds from their shells, from which they are separated by sift- 

 ing. To facilitate the separation of the white sebaceous matter 

 enveloping the seeds, they are strained in tubs, having convex, 

 open wicket bottoms placed over cauldrons of boiling water- 

 ^When thoroughly heated they are reduced to a mash in the mor- 

 tar, and thence transferred to bamboo sieves, kept at an uniform 

 temperature over hot ashes. A single operation does not suffice 

 to deprive them of all their tallow, and the steaming and sifting is 

 therefore repeated. The article thus procured becomes a solid 

 mass on falling through the sieve, and to purify it, it is melted 

 and formed into cakes for the press. These receive their form 

 from bamboo hoops a foot in diameter and three inches deep, 

 which are laid on the ground over a little straw. On being filled 

 with the hot liquid the ends of the straw beneath are drawn up 

 and spread over the top, and when of sufficient consistence are 

 placed with their rings in the press. This apparatus, which is of 

 the rudest description, and constructed of two large beams placed 

 horizontally so as to form a trough, is capable of containing about 

 fifty of the rings with their sebaceous cakes; at one end it is 

 closed, and at the other adapted for receiving wedges, which are 

 miccessively driven into it by ponderous sled^e hammers, wielded 

 by athletic men. The tallow oozes in a melted state into a re- 

 ceptacle below where it cools; it is again melted and poured into 

 tubs, smeared with mud to prevent its adhering. It is now mar- 

 ketable, in masses about 80 pounds each — Imrd, brittle, white, 

 opake, without taste, and without the odor of animal tallow; 

 under high pressure it scar^ly stains bibulous paper; melts at 

 104'^ Falirenheit. It may be regarded as nearly pure stearine, the 

 slight difference is doubtless owing to the admixture of oil ex- 

 pressed from the seed in the process just described. The seeds 



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