CASTOK-OIL INDUSTRY. I 



selection and methods of planting, cultivating, and harvesting are 

 being worked out. But the farmer who would raise castor beans 

 as a crop will have to be shown that he can receive more money 

 per acre than he is receiving from his present crops before there 

 will be a satisfactory home production of castor beans. Cost, 

 yield, market, and profit are the determining factors. 



The relative consumption of castor beans in the great vegetable- 

 oil producing countries for the years 1911 to 1913 is shown in Table 

 VI. Exports are subtracted from imports, all figures being reported 

 in the respective commerce returns. 



Table VI. — Consumption of castor beans in the great vegetable-oil producing countries 

 for the years 1911, 1912, and 1913. 



Countries. 



Consumption of castor beans (bushels). 



1911 



1912 



1913 





790, 000 



1,928,000 



460,360 



336,760 



978,000 



1,856,000 



663,520 



377,720 



824,000 





2, 132, 000 





1,006,280 





419, 160 







1 Annual return of trade. 2 Tableau general du Commerce et de la Navigation. 



3 Auswartige Handel-Statistik des Deutschen Reichs. 



The United Kingdom exported much of its home-crushed oil, 

 leaving 3,624,000 gallons (14,495 tons) of oil consumed in 1913, 

 figured by subtracting the exports from the imports, whether oil as 

 such or calculated on a 45 per cent yield from the beans. The 

 American consumption in the same year, 1913, figured similarly, 

 was 2,314,045 gallons (9,250 tons). (See Table IV.) The figures 

 for France and Germany only very roughly follow consumption, as 

 the customs returns include this commodity with others. Hence 

 the figures represent a maximum never attained by castor beans 

 alone. 



THE INSPECTION OR VALUATION OF CASTOR BEANS. 1 



The castor beans of commerce are bought on a standard form of 

 contract of the Linseed Oil Association in New York City. 2 If 3 per 

 cent of impurities, or less, is present in any lot of beans no deduction 

 or reward for impurities is made, but if more than 3 per cent is present 

 a deduction is made for all over such a figure. These impurities 

 include hulls, sand, and pebbles, sometimes stones 2 or 3 inches in 

 diameter, occasionally extraneous seeds, and even foreign money. 

 Beans from India usually run well under 3 per cent of impurities, 



1 Contributed by A. C. Goetz (Capt. A. S. Sig. R. C), formerly in charge of the Chemical Supplies and 

 Materials Section of the Production Division, Inspection Department, Bureau of Aircraft Production. 



2 The Linseed Oil Association of New York City is an association of crushers, brokers, commission men, 

 etc., dealing in linseed oil, castor beans, and other oleaginous materials. 



