172 



tious, and said to be equal to almond oil, and superior to olive oil. The 

 yield is 40 per cent. 



The shell of the nut contains a thick, oily, caustic juice, called 

 *' cardole" in the East Indies. Gardole contains an oily matter which 

 on exposure to air as-umes a fine black colour, permanent against acids, 

 alkalies, chlorine and hydrocyanic acid. It has been recommended as 

 a marking ink, and is used for giving a black colour to candles. The 

 yield is nearly 30 per cent. It is valuable as a preventive against 

 white ants in wood-work, books, &c. In India it is used for tarring boats 

 and dveing fishing lines to preserve them. 



Th^ oil, "obtained from the shell by maceration in spirit," is an 

 excellent remedy for the cracking of the cuticle of the feet (Joynt). It 

 has been used beneficially in the anesthetic variety of leprosy, and in 

 psoriasis as a local stimulant when faintly brushed. 



The fruit is 2 or 3 inches long, varying very much in size and 

 quality, and in colour — either yellow or red. It is the enlarged top of 

 the flower-stalk. Stewed it makes an excellent and wholesome dish. A 

 spirit can also be distilled from it of good quality. 



A gum is obtained from the trunk. " It is sub-astringent, and 

 highly unpalatable to insects. It consists principally of arabine and 

 dextrine, both soluble in water, with a minor insoluble portion, proba- 

 bly bassorine. It forms a strong, yellowish mucilage with water. 

 In South America it is largely used by book- binders ; it is occasionally 

 imported from that continent into England, and possesses the same 

 commercial value as the common and inferior sorts of Arabic and 

 Senegal gums." (Spon's Encyc.) 



The juice issuing from incisions in the bark is used as a marking 

 ink, and in India native workmen make use of it as a flux for soldering 

 metals. 



The timber is strong and lasting, of a reddish colour, moderately 

 hard, close-grained. Weight 38 lbs per cubic foot used in Burma for 

 boat-building and charcoal, (Watt, Diet. Econ. Prod.) 



The tree is of quick growth, often bearing fruit in two years time.* 



INSECT PESTS IN PEAS, &c. 



In a former Bulletin f remedies have been suggested for insect 

 pests in peas, grain, etc. A correspondent states that he has found that 

 a small amount of sugar mixed with red peas prevents the attacks of 

 weevils. About two large tablespoonfuls of brown sugar are mixed 

 with a bushel of peas, and he finds that although kept open, the peas are 

 not touched for at any rate six months. 



* Plants are now ready for distribution grown from carefully selected 

 seeds. Apply to Director of Public Gardens, Kingston, P.O. 

 t Bulletin, May 1898, page 106. 



