CANDLE NUTS. 



419 



the plant in perfection. There is required a light rich soil, as un- 

 shadowed by trees as possible. The earlier the seed can be got in 

 the ground the better, say the end of September or the beginning of 

 October, as the crop will be ready to harvest the latter part of 

 February, which will be of the greatest importance to growers. The 

 necessary quantity of seed required for an acre depends on the con- 

 dition of the soil, and varies from 4 to 5 lbs. ; but of course it is 

 advisable to sow a little more than is actually wanted, to provide 

 against accidents. The seed should be drilled into the ground ; the 

 distance from row to row 18 inches ; the plants to be thinned out to 

 30 inches from plant to plant ; and the number of plants at this 

 distance would be about 11,000 per acre ; at 18 inches from plant to 

 plant 25,000 per acre ; and at 12 inches from plant to plant 32,000. 

 The produce varies considerably, according to the state of the soil, the 

 climate, and the cultivation that is employed ; but the average quantity 

 of seed may be taken at 50 bushels per acre, and the yield of oil at a 

 gallon per bushel. 



The seed varies in relation of husk to kernel from 41 and 60 

 per cent, of the former to 40 to 59 of the latter, and the percentage 

 of oil between 16i and 28 per cent. On the average, however, about 

 18 per cent, of oil may be obtained by expression. 



Candle Nuts. — Under the name of candle nuts there are imported 

 into this country an oil seed, the hard fruit, either in the shell or 

 broken, of the Aleurites triloba and A. Moluccana. The French call 

 them Bancoul nuts, and in the PacifijC islands they are known as 

 kukui. Aleurites triloba is a native of the Malay islands and Assam. 

 It is also cultivated in Lower Bengal. The kernels are much relished 

 there, having the taste of English walnuts. 



Two or three species are known, spread over the Molucca Islands, 

 Ceylon, and the archipelagoes of the Pacific Ocean. It is very 

 common in the forests of Cochin China, New Caledonia, Tahiti, 

 Eeunion, &c. The fruit, produced in abundance, falls to the ground 

 when it has arrived at maturity. This nut is composed of a hard and 

 ligneous shell, containing an oily kernel, of which the following is 

 the composition : 



Water .. 5-000 



Oil 62-175 



Nitrogenous substances 22 - 653 



Non-nitrogenous substances 6-827 



Mineral matters 3 - 345 



100-000 



In its normal state it contains : 



Nitrogen 3 - 625 per cent. 



According to this analysis, the kernel is rich in oil and in nitro- 

 genous substances. It is worthy, therefore, of attracting the more 

 prominent attention of manufacturers and agriculturists. 



The nuts analyzed came from Tahiti. The French Minister of 



2 E 2 



