90 



SEEDS AXD PLANTS IMPOBTED. 



50636 to 50647— Continued. 



the industn' is well looked after, the larger branches are kept 'headed in' to 

 facilitate the gathering of the fniits. The fniits are three celled, flattened 

 ovoid, and about 1.5 centimeters in diameter. When ripe they are blackish 

 brown and woody in appearance and are either gathered from the trees by hand 

 or knocked off by the aid of bamboo poles. After being collected, the frtiits 

 are spread in the sun, where they open, and each liberates three elliptical seeds, 

 which are covered with a white substance. This covering is a fat or J^allow and 

 is removed by steaming and rubbing through a bamboo sieve having meshes 

 sufficiently smaU to retain the black seeds. The fat is collected and melted; 

 afterwards it is molded into cakes, in which state it is known as the 'pi-yii' of 

 commerce. After the fatty covering has been removed the seeds are crushed 

 and the powdered mass is subjected to partial roasting in shallow pans. Then 

 it is placed in wooden vats, fitted with wicker bottoms, and thoroughly steamed 

 over boiling water. Next, with the aid of an iron ring and straw, it is made into 

 circular cakes about 18 inches in diameter. These cakes are ai ranged edgeways 

 in a large press, and, when full, pressure is exerted by driving in one wedge after 

 another, thereby crushing out the oil, which falls into a vat below. The oil 

 expressed from the seeds is the 'ting-yu' of commerce. Very often no attempt 

 is made to separate the fat and the oil. The seeds with their white covering 

 are crushed and steamed together and submitted to pressure, the mixed product 

 so obtained being known as 'mou-yu.' The yield of fat and oil is about 30 per 

 cent by weight of the seeds. In China all three products are largely employed 

 in the manufacture of c?ndles. The pure 'pi-yu' has a higher melting point 

 than the 'ting-yu' or the mixture 'mou-yu.' All Chinese candles have an exte- 

 rior coating of insect white wax, but when made from 'pi-yu' only the thinnest 

 possible covering of wax is necessarj^ (one-tenth of an ounce to a pound). All 

 three products of the vegetable- tallow tree are exported in quantity to Europe, 

 where they are used in the manufacture of soap, being essential constituents of 

 certain particular forms of this article. ' ' ( Wilson, A Naturalist in Wesiteni China^ 

 vol. 2; p. 68.) 

 For pre\dous introduction, see S. P. T. Xo. 47363. 



50646. Thea sasanqua (Thunb.) Xois. Theacese. 

 (Camelia sasanqua Thunb.) 



A large, wide-spreading ornamental shrub or small tree common throughout 

 the warmer parts of Japan. The branches are very slender, and in the wild 

 plant the flowers are always white. It is a popular garden shmb, and under 

 cultivation forms with pink and rose-colored flowers are common. The seeds 

 contain an inferior sort of oil used by the Japanese women for dressing their 

 hair. (Adapted from Sargent, Plantae Wilsonianae, vol. 2, p. -^94.) 



For previous introduction, see S. P. I. No. 35248. 



50647. TooNA SINENSIS (Juss.) Roemer. Meliacese. 

 (Cedrela sinensis Juas.) 



• A tree 80 feet high with a straight trunk, common in western Ilupeh up to 

 4,500 feet. The young shoots are cooked and eaten as a vegetable. The valuable 

 wood is beautifully marked with rich-red bands on a yellow-brown ground. 

 Foreigners call it ''Chinese mahogany.'' It is easily worked, does not warp 

 or crack, and is esteemed for making window sashes, door joists, and furniture. 

 (Adapted from Wilson, A Naturalist in Western China, vol. 2, p. 22.) 

 For previous introduction, see S. I*. I. No. 38805. 



