July, 1908.] 



IS 



Oils and Fats. 



and in fattening fowls for the table, 

 whose laying powers are also greatly 

 increased thereby. In America the seeds 

 are at present employed in feeding 

 poultry, and to some extent, mixed with 

 other fodder, as a cattle food ; otherwise 

 in that country the plant is simply rared 

 for ornamental purposes. In Russia the 

 oil cake is valued higher than maize or 

 linseed cake as a cattle food, and is also 

 said to act as a "condition powder " for 

 horses owing to its easy digestibility 

 and highly nutritive properties. Sheep, 

 pigs, rabbits, and pigeons as well fatten 

 rapidly ou the oil cake. 



The oil itself is not a less valuable 

 product in Russia, for on account of its 

 great palatability, when in a pure state, 

 it is extensively employed for culinary 

 purposes, and as an adulterant of, aud a 

 substitute for, olive oil. But although 

 the cultivation of the sunflower is carried 

 on successfully in Russia, and the manu- 

 facture of the oil is a long established 

 and prosperous undertaking, the pros- 

 pects to the agriculturist and the manu- 

 facturer in other countries seems to be 

 by no means assured ; even in America 

 the oil is not produced commercially. 



Some Unsuccessful Experiments. 



Attempts to create a sunflower oil 

 industry in India have so far proved dis- 

 appointing, if not a pronounced failure. 

 In 1896, Sir Frederick Abel arrived at 

 the conclusion that there was no like- 

 lihood of India competing successfully in 

 England with other sources of supply. 

 One eminent firm of oilseed crushers at 

 home, determined to give the Indian 

 product a fair trial, purchased 100 tons 

 of seed in the London Market, but the 

 yield was so very unsatisfactory that 

 they decided not to touch it again. A 

 similar verdict was passed in Marseilles, 

 Planters in Behar have tried the seed, 

 but obtained no encouragement to go 

 beyond the experimental stage. Cultiva- 

 tion of the plant was carried on in 

 Bangalore for several years, but there 

 too it was abandoned as unprofitable. 



At the Experimental Farm in Sibpur, 

 Russian seed was tried and it was proved 

 that the plant could be grown in Bengal 

 with ease, but whether it would pay the 

 cultivator was considered problemetical. 

 A plot of one-tenth of an acre was 

 planted with Russian seed first as a rain 

 crop and a second time in the cold 

 weather. The outturn of seed was 8£ 

 lbs. in the t ains and 47| lbs. in the winter. 

 Out of 56 lbs. of seed 50 lbs. were crushed 

 and gave 4| lbs. equal to 9 per cent, of 

 oil, a yield very low compared with that 

 of other oilseeds in India. The oil, how- 

 ever, was clear and agreeable to the 

 ta ste. In aj ■ other experiment at Coimba- 



tore with Russian seed, a yield of about 

 31 per cent, of oil was obtained. Of 

 several experiments in Behar, the most 

 recent, apparently, was one conducted 

 by Mr. E. Hudson, of the Rajpore Indigo 

 Concern ; some of the best seed was pro- 

 cured from Messrs. Sutton & Co., and 

 sown in October, 1905. The seed from 

 this crop was kept for sowing till the 

 following year, so that it might be 

 acclimatised. From a plot of one-tenth 

 of an acre 72 lbs. of seed was obtained, 

 giving 40 per cent, husks etc. and 60 per 

 cent, kernels ; and from the kernels 30 

 per cent, oil was extracted. This result 

 was not considered a success, as more 

 profitable returns were obtained from 

 mustard seed and linseed. Lieutenant 

 J. F. Pogson, stated to be an authority 

 on Indian agriculture a generation ago, 

 wrote to the Secretary of the Agri- 

 Horticultural Society of India in 1875 

 that he looked upon experiments in the 

 production of sunflower oil in this 

 country as time and money wasted. 

 The general conclusion seems to be that 

 sunflower is an unprofitable crop in 

 India, although it can be successfully 

 grown over large areas, and the same 

 methods of cultivation as those applied 

 to Indian corn may be followed. 



The Future. 

 The question of whether the crop may 

 be made to pay or not must depend, 

 however, on the prices obtainable for 

 the products. For example, although 

 the oil, owing to its poor drying pro- 

 perties as compared with linseed oil and 

 poppyseed oil, is of a relatively low 

 value for mixing with plants and for 

 other purposes, there may be a future 

 before it as an edible oil and for culinary 

 purposes, also for the production of 

 artificial butter, for varnish making, 

 even for soap making in a small way. 

 Again, although anything like the price 

 obtainable in Russia for the oilcake — 

 about £6 10s. to £1 10s. per ton— is not to 

 be thought of in India, still as the values 

 of the various kinds of oilcake come to 

 be properly appreciated by the Indian 

 cultivator, there is little doubt that 

 much better rates than are at present 

 obtainable will eventually be procured. 

 The exploitation of oil seeds and the oil 

 manufacturing industries in India are 

 but in their infancy, and sunflower oil 

 may yet be found valuable for other 

 purposes than those known at present. 

 Most, if not every one, of the expensive 

 blends of the various kinds of machinery 

 oils that are at present largely imported 

 from Europe could be produced locally, 

 as there is little doubt their com- 

 ponents—or substitutes as suitable— are 

 indigenous, Burma and Assam furnish- 

 ing Avhat with few exceptions is the 



