264 
LXII.—TEA OIL AND CAKE. 
(Camellia Sasanqua, 'Thunb.) 
In the Annual Report of the re corameht anp lyst of Hong Kong fo or 
rawn to the u 
ina n 
ap cimen of oil-cake, and a decoction of the SAI ns used 
in “Chin for various purposes, are also in the Museum from Hong 
pe connexion with this subject, the following eren have been pre- 
pared by Mr. Charles Ford, F.L.S., Superin ntendent of the Botanical 
and ‘Affotestation Department, Heng se rom d ese notes it would 
did eum Ch‘á tsai ping might be turned to a useful purpose in 
ying worms in soil in — dise plants are grown, and also in 
odd them from grass lawn 
Botanical Gardens, Hong Kon 
September 20. 1887. 
reply to your inquiries ier a tho pre spat ration and uses of 
While on a botanical tour in the Kwangtung province, from which I 
have just returned, I had an opportunity = “inspecting plantations of 
the shrub from which the material is obtain d, of seeing mills in which 
the article is prepared, and of receiving lafüruntion on both the culti- 
vation of the plant and the omn of tea oil from an intelligent and 
eourteous old Chinese gentleman 
Camellia pers. a Thunb., i is extensively grown in South China 
for the production of seeds which yield a valuable oil known as tea oil. 
Ch'à tsai "Ua is YE refuse matter left after the oil has been expressed. 
The preparation is very simple. The seeds are collected in October or 
November, dried and taken to a mill, where they are crushed in a 
circular mortar or trough by a pestle drive through it by water power. 
'The seeds after being erushed are steamed, and then the mass is placed 
in a powerful press, which expresses the oi. The refuse, after the 
extraction of the oil, is the tipo known as Ch‘é tsai ping. It is pro- 
duced in cakes weighing, when dry, about 3 ozs. and 3} lbs. respectively. 
The quality of the two kinds of cake is the same, I am not aware that 
anything besides the seeds of Camellia Sasanqua enters into the 
Ch'á tsai ping is used by the Chinese as a hair wash, and as soap for 
eleansing both the spur and clothes. It is also used for the uli. 
eation of earth-worms from the soil in which plants in pots are grown. 
In these gardens we jio use it for eradieating earth-worms from grass 
lawns. For this purpose the eake is crushed and boiled. The decoction 
is then diluted and poured on the grass when the worms come to the 
surface of the ground. Asa rule the small worms die, but the larger 
