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CHAPTER VII. 



Oils and Waxes. 



The extended use of gas and tte discovery of the petro- 

 leum or mineral oils during the last few years have had a 

 marked effect upon diminishing the use of vegetable oils as 

 illuminants. The spread of machinery, on the other hand, 

 has had an opposite effect in creating a demand for oil for 

 lubricating purposes ; besides this there is always a large 

 demand for drying oils for mixing paints and for similar 

 uses. These facts, together with the increased use of oil- 

 cake for feeding cattle, ca\ise a pretty brisk sale of oil seeds 

 generally, and oil crushers are alert and always ready to 

 give a trial to any new product of this nature arriving in 

 the English markets. A large quantity of these oil seeds, 

 especially those from the West Coast of Africa and Brazil, 

 find their way to the port of Liverpool, and it is surprising 

 how often new products of this nature, together with old 

 ones that have, perhaps, been sent years before and forgotten, 

 do come into that port. With a seed new to a broker, 

 coming into his hands for the first time, it is necessary that 

 he should make himself acquainted with its nature or pro- 

 perties — whether the oil it contains is wholesome or poisonous 

 — -before he effects a purchase, it may be of a whole ship-load. 

 The nature of the seed governs not only the oil itself, but 

 also the marc or cake left after expression, which, in the 

 case of a sweet oil, would be valuable for cattle feeding, 

 while, on the other hand, in the case of a poisonous oil 

 it might bring about serious consequences. 



The best-known oils, and those which are most lai-gelv 

 employed, esi)ecially in soap and candle-making — which take 

 the bulk of the oils imported — are Cocoa-Nut and Pai.M 



