371 



Oils and Fats. 



WILD ALMOND OIL. 

 The Wild Indian, or Java Almond (Terminalia Catappa, Linn.) is a 

 familiar avenue tree in India. It is said to be indigenous to the Malay 

 Peninsula as well as to the Islands of the East Indian Archipelago, and 

 to have been introduced into India by the Dntch from Java. Its large, 

 dark green foliage that is borne upon horizontal tiers of verticillate branches 

 lends it a most ornamental appearance, particularly during its infancy and 

 youth. In the early pole stage it is singularly imposing, and, though deciduous 

 for a brief period of the year, affords, at others, a most grateful shade. This 

 coupled with the quickness of its growth, has caused it to be selected for avenue 

 purposes in India. The ultimate group to which the plant is botanically referred 

 is represented in India more by the prevalence of individuals than of species ; 

 so that extensive pure forests of a single species of " Terminalia" are not uncommon 

 in the wilds of India. The introduced Terminalia Catappa itself grows with 

 so much ease in the country that it may be said to occur under almost indigenous 

 conditions. It is a species which is apparently indifferent to all except extremes 

 of climate that are indicated by the prevalence of frost and drought, and 

 thrives upon a great variety of soils. It is a lover of moist localities and 

 requires plenty of light for its full development. 



In average soils and most situations it begins to bear fruit in its third 

 or fourth year, but requires as many more again to get into full bearing. 

 Thereafter it yields fruit annually in great profusion, the almonds, as they are 

 called, being, like the leaves, borne in largest numbers at the terminals of the 

 branches. The kernels of these almonds contain large quantities of a fixed bland 

 light-coloured oil, which resembles true almond-oil in taste and flavour so much, 

 that it may be efficiently susbtituted for the latter, provided it be exploited on 

 any extensive scale in India. 



At present, the almonds are seldom utilized, but the cultivation of the 

 plant and the preparation of its oil are industries that are worthy of our best 

 consideration. For, in spite of the prevalence of species in our midst that are 

 capable of yielding many excellent table oils, it cannot be denied that we are 

 still restricted to the use of a few foreign highly-priced products which alone 

 are believed to be edible at all ! Why, in the face of the fact that we possess 

 an abundance of raw material wherewith to manufacture our own culinary and 

 salad oils, we should still depend upon European and American products, is at 

 least far, very far from intelligible. The Terminalia Catappa, like the Termi- 

 nalia belerica (one of the chebulic myrabolans), the Cashew nut (Anacardium 

 occidentale), the Buchanania latifolia, the Semecarpus anacardium, the Erioden- 

 dron anfractuosum D.C., species of Gossypium, Hibiscus, and the Canarium 

 strictum are but a few of the indigenous species of India that yield palatable 

 and nutritious edible oils. 



The cultivation of the wild almond is neither difficult nor risky. Towards 

 the end of the hot weather, when the fruit ripens it is shed spontaneously or 

 disseminated through the agency of birds and animals, the flying-fox (Pteropus 

 medius, Tern.) in particular, being fond of the soft sweetish pidp investing it. 

 Divested of this pulp, the fruit consists of a flattened ovoid fibrous rind 

 containing a small hardened torpedo-shaped nut, within which reposes the oily 

 kernel. The nuts in the rind may be sown in a nursery which needs little 

 attention beyond an occasional watering. They germinate readily, and the seedlings 

 are fit to transplant before the close of the monsoon rains. The most suitable 

 arrangement in the laying out of the plantation is to set out the transplants 

 along avenues or " walks." They may also be profitably interplanted with other 



