Oils and Fats. 



494 



[June, 19ll 



Tropical in its origin, the antiquity of 

 its culture is attested, first, by seeds 

 found in the Sarcophagi of the ancient 

 Egyptians, and, later, by records of the 

 utility of the plant in the earliest 

 writings of the Hindus. 



It is supposed to be indigenous to 

 Africa but has been carried by the many 

 migrations of men in the course of ages 

 to all parts of the tropical and sub- 

 tropical world. A perennial in tropical 

 climates it often attains the dimensions 

 of a large bush or small tree, twenty 

 feet or over in height. 



There are numerous varieties of castor 

 seed plants, some of which have been 

 considered distinct species by botanists, 

 but are now generally believed to be 

 merely cultivated or geographical forms 

 of one variable and widely distributed 

 species— (Ricinus communis, Linn.) 



The leaves are large and handsome on 

 long foot-stalks arranged alternately on 

 the stem ; palmate, glaucous, green or 

 reddish in colour, divided deeply into 

 8 or 10 lobes, which have serrated 

 margins. The flowers, of two sexes, are 

 produced in panicled racemes, which 

 terminate the branches ; they are usually 

 bluish-green in colour, but may assume a 

 reddish hue, as in the variety known as 

 "lividus." The short-stalked stami- 

 nate flowers are produced at the base of 

 the inflorescence and the pistillate ones 

 on the upper part. The fruit is a dry, 

 3-celled, 3-seeded capsule, usually covered 

 with sharp prominences, rarely smooth. 

 The seeds vary much in colour, size and 

 shape; they are usually oval, flattened 

 on one side, and of a mottled gray colour 

 with a conspicuous white, caruncle at 

 the hilum end. When ripe, the capsules 

 of some varieties dehisce and scatter the 

 seeds to a considerable distance. This 

 peculiarity probably accounts for the 

 wide distribution of the plant in coun- 

 tries, such as Brazil, to which it is not a 

 native. The method of seed-dispersal 

 should be borne in mind by the culti- 

 vator, as seed is liable to be lost if the 

 capsules are allowed to remain too long 

 on the plants. 



For practical purposes the numerous 

 forms of the castor plant may be grouped 

 into two classes, the larger-seeded and 

 the small-seeded kinds. The former aie 

 the more prolific in the yield of seeds, 

 and the oil obtained from them is 

 suitable for lubricating and industrial 

 purposes ; the small-seeded varieties 

 yield finer oil that is preferred for use in 

 medicine. 



Climate and Soil. — As a rough guide 

 to the climatic conditions necessary for 

 the production of castor seed it may 

 be stated that where maize can be grown 

 successfully the castor plant may be 

 expected to succeed. A well-drained 

 sandy loam is the most suitable soil for 

 it, but being an exhaustive crop it de- 

 mands good preparatory cultivation. 

 The land should be well ploughed and 

 harrowed, or cultivated to a moderately 

 fine tilth. Very loose sandy soils or 

 heavy clays are alike unsuitable. 



The plant requires a fair amount of 

 moisture, and rainfall after sowing the 

 seed is essential to ensure good germi- 

 nation ; but after the root system has 

 developed less moisture is needed and 

 its 'cultivation appears to be restricted 

 by excessive rainfall. 



Sowing the Seed and Cultivation. — In 

 the Transvaal it is recommended that 

 the seed should be sown in hills 9 feet 

 apart ; 4 to 6 seeds being planted in each 

 hill and covered to the depth of about 

 one inch with fine soil. 



When planting large areas it is ad- 

 visable to leave roadways every ten or 

 twelve rows in order to allow the access 

 of carts to remove the crop from the 

 field. 



It is well to soak the seed in warm 

 water for twenty-four hours before sow- 

 ing. This treatment softens the hard 

 seed-coat and tends to ensure quick and 

 uniform germination. When the young 

 plants are from 9 to 12 inches high they 

 should be thinned out, leaving only the 

 strongest one in each hill. 



The method here recommended will 

 require about 22 lbs. of seed to the acre. 

 Some saving may be effected by re* 



