282 TROPICAL AGRICULTURE 



tained from the seeds of (H. wightiana), a tree native to 

 India. Under pressure the seeds yield 32 per cent, of the oil, 

 which is used as a substitute for Chaulmoogra oil. The seeds 

 of H. anthelmintica also yield by pressure about 16 per cent, 

 of an oil called lukrabo oil, which is similar in odor and con- 

 sistency to Chaulmoogra oil. 



Pongam oil is derived from the beans produced by Pon- 

 gamia glabra, a tree native to India, Ceylon, and Malacca. The 

 beans yield by pressure about 25 per cent, of yellow oil, which 

 is much used in medicine and for illuminating purposes in 

 India. 



Carapa oil is produced by the seeds of C. guianensis, a hand- 

 some tree native to French Guiana. This tree reaches a height 

 of 75 feet and bears pinnate leaves. The natives obtain the 

 oil by boiling the seeds in water and allowing the oil to drain 

 from the mass. The seeds yield about 40 per cent, of oil by 

 pressure. This oil is employed by the natives in Guiana, Bra- 

 zil, etc., as an ointment to protect the skin against the attacks 

 of insects. 



Shea butter is a vegetable fat obtained from the nuts of 

 Butyrospermum parkii, a tree native to the west coast of 

 Africa and the Sudan. The tree grows to a height of 40 feet 

 or more. The nuts are pounded and boiled in water, after 

 which the fat is skimmed off. The oil has found quite a wide 

 use in the manufacture of soap and candles. 



Nutmeg butter is derived from the nutmeg kernel by pres- 

 sure. Only a small part of the 1,500 tons of nutmegs an- 

 nually produced in the world is used as a source of nutmeg 

 butter. The seeds yield 40 per cent, of fat of a yellow color, 

 nutmeg flavor, and of the consistency of tallow. Most of the 

 nutmegs of Europe come from the Banda Islands. Mace but- 

 ter is made both from the mace of the commercial species of 

 nutmeg and also from Myristica argentea, a tree of common 

 occurrence in New Guinea. Nutmeg butter is largely used in 

 medicine in the preparation of ointments 



