SECTION V, 



OLEAaiNOLTS PLAXTS, AND THOSE YIELDIXG 

 EIXED OR ESSENTIAL OILS. 



Few cultivators are probably aware of the great importance of 

 oil to this country, and the number of purposes for whicb it is 

 employed in the arts and manufactures. It is extensively used 

 for candle and soap making, for burning in lamps, for diminishing 

 friction in machinery of all kinds, and especially for locomotives — 

 in wool-dressing, in the manufacture of paints and varnishes, as 

 an article of food, for medicinal purposes, &c. 



So important are vegetable oils deemed, that the Society of 

 Arts, in its prize list for 1851, offered gold medals for the im- 

 portation or introduction into this country of any ncAV plants 

 or trees from China, India, or elsewhere, producing oils or fatty 

 substances, such as can be used as food, or are applicable to manu- 

 facturing purposes ; and also to the person who shall manufacture 

 and import the finest specimen of oil, not less than ten gallons, 

 the produce of olives grown in any British colony in Africa or 

 Australasia. 



The time of burning of equal quantities of the following oils has 

 been found to be — 



Hours. 



Oil of poppy 14 



„ sunflower 13 



rape 11 



flax seed 



10 



Hours. 



Oil of gold of pleasure [Ca- 

 melina sativa) . . 



olives 



hemp seed 



rOREIGN VEGETABLE OILS LMPORTED. 





1821. 



1845. 



1850. 





tuns. 



tuns. 



tuns. 



Coco-nut oil . . . 





2,148 



98,040 



Olive oil 



1,900 



12,315 



20,783 



Palm oil 



3,200 . . 



25,285 



448,589 cwts 



Eape seed oil . . 



800 . . 



3,973 





Linseed oil 



10,500 . . 



38,634 







16,400 



82,355 





Fisli oils 



32,356 



22,fi26 



21,328 



The total quantity of all kinds of wool annually consumed in Eng- 

 land and Wales, in 1843, was estimated at 801,566 packs. Now, five 



