Oils and Fats. 



112 



[Feb. 1908. 



wax, an occupation which generally is 

 allotted to women. In order to loosen 

 the wax the leaves are often split with a 

 knife before being beaten. After a very- 

 small quantity of water has been added 

 the wax is boiled in an iron saucepan, 

 and in this liquid state it is put into 

 earthenware moulds, in which it forms 

 into a cake of about a kilo in weight. 



The liar vest extends as we have already 

 mentioned over six months and is made 

 twice a month. On an average ei'-rht leaves 

 are each time cut off a full grown palm, 

 making 96 during the season. On an 

 average 850 leaves are necessary for the 

 production of 1(3 kilos of wax ; this may 

 be gained from a fertile soil off 500 leaves 

 from a poor ground off 1,200 leaves. I 

 particularly mention this difference 

 that it may be a hint when cultivaion 

 is tried. 



According to this a tree yields on an 

 average 807-1000 kilos of wax, which is 

 equivalent to the value of 1£ marks. 

 This, however, is the gross cost, but as 

 the palm has not been cultivated and the 

 material has been collected from wild 

 trees only the cost of working, which is 

 small, has to be deducted to give the net 

 cost. 



On the basis of a total yield of two 

 million kilos for the province of Ceara, 

 it would be proved, according to the 

 above mentioned calculation of an 

 average yield, that 1,106,799 wax palms 

 are in use. However, this is not nearly 

 the number of the existing trees, not 

 even in Ceara not to mention Brazil. 



After the leaves have been beaten they 

 are burnt for the greater part, an un- 

 justifiable waste, for the leaves yield 

 fibres, which the Indian use for the 

 manufacture of excellent strings, cords, 

 ropes, fishnets, mats, etc. The third 

 part of all cordage used in the province 

 of Ceara is said to be made from fibre of 

 the wax palm. The prepartion of the 

 fibre is exceedingly simple. The leaves 

 are not subject to a process of steeping 

 like any other fibre, but they are cut in 

 strips and drawn over (combed) aboard 

 studded with nails or fish teeth. 



These fibres are used in some parts of 

 Brazil for the manufacture of articles 

 which are made in Europe of straw, 

 such as hats, baskets, brooms, etc. 

 Another use is that as a stuffing for 

 mattreses and cushions. 



The dried leaves are used as a 

 thatching for roofs of huts ; it is light, 

 waterproof and nice looking. It is said 

 that in Ceara and the neighbouring 

 provinces the third part of all the huts 

 are covered with the leaves of the wax 

 palm. The question whether the leaves 

 are suitable for the manufacture of 



paper has been raised several times, but 

 it has not been answered satisfactorily. 

 To give an idea of the waste of a raw 

 material, which may be used in many 

 ways, of which the province of Ceara is 

 guilty by burning the leaves of the wax 

 palm, a Brazilian has made the following 

 calculation H J puts as a basis an 

 average yield of wax of 6, >14 grammes 

 per leaf, for the annual yield of 2 mill ion 

 kilos, and arrives at the result that 

 296.444,446 leaves must be cut off. As 

 the harvested leaf weighs on an average 

 134 grammes, the total weight amounts 

 to 39.723,555 kilos. Only a small fraction 

 of this quantity is used, the greater 

 part is burnt. 



When the wax palm is cut down at a 

 great age it furnishes an excellent wood 

 for building and carpentering. It is 

 very hard, of a yellowish red colour, 

 traversed by black veins, and takes a 

 good polish. It is much used for lathes 

 and pumps. An objection to this wood 

 is that it must not be exposed to the 

 weather, as it rots in 10 to 15 years. It 

 may be said to its advantage that it is not 

 attacked by insects, and will stand sea 

 water for an extraordinarily long time. 



The roots of the wax palm are used as 

 medicine in Northern Brazil. In the year 

 1870 an effort was made to introduce 

 them into England as a cheap substitute 

 for sarsaparilla, which naturally did not 

 succeed. Its bitter oily seeds, of which 

 it is said that they are used as food by 

 the Indians, are sometimes roasted by 

 the white inhabitants to serve either as a 

 substitute for coffee or as food for 

 cattle and fowls. Like all other palms 

 this wax palm can be tapped, and syrup 

 and arrack can be made from its juice. 

 The pith is said to contain a very fine 

 flour suitable for making moulds. 



Until now very little has been done 

 for the cultivation of the wax palm ; some 

 small plantations have been started in 

 the province of Rio Janeiro, but no 

 further attention has been paid to this 

 cultivation. Plantations have been 

 started in Ceara here and there along 

 the road sides, but they are left entirely 

 to themselves. As for the rest it is 

 considered enough that a law has been 

 passed, which punishes the cutting 

 down of a wax palm, without the 

 permission of the owner, with a fine 

 of 2jt marks. 



The wax palm of the Andes (Croxylon 

 Anticola) which belongs to the small 

 group of the mountain palm must not be 

 mistaken for the wax palm. The trunk 

 of the tree which grows to a height of 

 50 metres, which is found at a height of 

 2 500 to 3,000 metres, is covered with a 

 crust, one part of which consists of wax, 

 and three parts of resin ; this gives it an 



