87 



the prosperity of Seychelles practically depends on the one product, 

 vanilla. In 1895, for example, the crop almost entirely failed, and 

 the exports were consequently less by R-s 162,335 than they were 

 in 1894. In 1896 the crop was an exceptionally good one, and the 

 exports for that year exceeded the exports for 1895 by no less than 

 Ks. 936,150. 



THE PEANUT OIL INDUSTRY. 



A general articlr on the peanut or pindar-nut wilf be found in Bul- 

 letin for April, 1897, (page 75) in which the expression of oil is no- 

 ticed, and the use of the resulting cake for cattle food. 



The U. States Consul at Marseilles, according to the London Times, 

 reporting lately on the peanut oil industry, observes that more oil 

 is extracted in Marseilles from oleaginous seeds than in any other 

 place in Europe, and the industry is beginning to flourish again 

 after the depression produced by the introduction of American cot- 

 ton-seed oil and the failure of the seed crops elsewhere. As no 

 special machinery or process is employed in the manufacture of 

 peanut oil as distinct from other oil seeds, the manufacturers 

 crush arachides, or peanuts when the market is favourable, but 

 not to the exclusion of other seeds. Lrist year over 7 1,000 tons of 

 peanuts reached Marseilles ; at Bordeaux a large quantity of West 

 African nuts of good quality is crushed, and there are some mills in 

 the north of France, but Marseilles stands pre-eminent in the industry. 

 The nuts are scarcely ever ground whole, as this produces inferior oil 

 and cake of little value. In fact, a large quantity of the nuts arrives 

 shelled, after which the inner or red skin is removed as muoh as 

 possible by process resembling those for cleaning wheat in flour mills. 

 These are described in detail in the report. After the kernels have been 

 separated and cleaned they are ground and enveloped in strong fibrous 

 mats, are subjected to hydraulic pressure, and the clarifying of the oil 

 done by means of filters and fuller's earth. The husks are sometimes 

 ground with the cake, and form an inferior food for cattle, and when 

 coal is dear they are used as fuel in the oil mills. The crude oil runs 

 out thick and troubled, and must be filtered to make it a bright yellow, 

 while if it is to be water white in colour it must be treated further 

 with animal black and fuller's earth. It is stated that no alkaline lye 

 is used, but the art is somewhat secret. The sources of supply are 

 Bombay, Mozambique, and Senegal. In some years the African 

 supply is wholly swamped by the supplies from India, and atone time 

 it seemed that Africa would be unable to compete permanently with 

 India. But though the latter still sends larg>3 quantities of nuts to 

 Marseilles it appears to he using more and more of its crop at home, 

 so that, while the imports between 1890 and 1895 were mostly from 

 India, in 1896 to 1899 they were mainly from Afrioa. In the earlier 

 year of the decade American cotton oil menaced the crushing trade of 

 Marseilles with extinction because of its low price, but apparently 

 new demands for oils have arisen, for the production in Marseilles has 

 returned to its former average, and prices also, after serious derange- 

 ments, have resumed their old level. There has been a world-wide 



