8 



"When taken fresh from the tree it resembles milk and has a sweet 

 taste, but later on becomes sour. A small quantity of spirit called 

 " bokha" i9 distilled from the date, and is consumed locally. It is an 

 intoxicant and somewhat resembles arrack. Efforts to export dates to 

 Europe for distilling purposes have failed, owing to heavy import du- 

 ties. The export of dares to Bengazi, Egypt and Turkey varies be- 

 tween £700, and £2,000, according to good or bad seasons, and chiefly 

 from Zleiten, Misurata and Tuarga. Plantations are rare, except in 

 those parts which are exempt from taxation. 



SUNFLOWER SEEDS. 



{From the Annual Report of the British Consul-General at Odessa, 



Russia.) 



There is a growing demand in Russia for oil-yielding seeds, particu - 

 larly for those of the sunflower. Until recently there have been but 

 few mills for expressing this oil,and the growers, finding no market at 

 home, sent their seed abroad. Xow, however, there are mills in Rus- 

 sia which require large quantities of it, and what is more, they offer 

 the growers higher prices than those obtainable abroad. With the in- 

 creasing home demand, a falling-off in the export of oil seeds may be 

 looked for in the near future. Samples of sunflower seeds were recently 

 asked for by the Government of Bengal, where it is intended to try 

 them. From personal experience I know that the plant will grow 

 very luxuriantly in East Africa. It may well be found a suitable crop 

 for other British colonies. In this country it is found that the best 

 results in sunflower cultivation are obtained from a well tilled soil, with 

 Jiot too much clay in its composition ; it should be well ploughed in 

 the autumn and harrowed in the spring. The seed should be sown in 

 April or May in every second or third furrow. One or sometimes two 

 or three seeds should be put into the ground at a distance of two to 

 four inches apart. Broadcast sowing may also be resorted to, care 

 being taken that only one seed falls in every two square feet. The 

 quaiitity of seed required per acre is 20 lbs. ; the yield, if good, should 

 be about 1,600 lbs. The yield in oil of seed in husks is 17 per cent., 

 without husks, 20 per cent. It may be of interest to add that the seed 

 is much liked as a light refreshment by the poorer Russians ; indeed it 

 is sold in the streets by hawkers to be eaten as nuts are eaten in Eng- 

 land. 



OIL OF EUCALYPTUS.* 



Oil 'of Eucalyptus is obtained by distillation from the fresh leaves 

 of Eucalyptus Globulus, Labill, and other species of Eucalyptus. The 

 E. Globulus is the ordinary " blue gum" tree, indigenous to Victoria 

 aud Tasmania, and cultivated in Italy, Spain, the south of France, etc. ; 

 it attains a height of 300 to 350 feet, has a smooth ash coloured bark, 

 leaves up to 12 inches in length, large pinkish- white axillary flowers 



* Pharmaceutical Journal, Sept. 8th, 1900. 



