545 



Ca^ or "ied.. Eetamed. 



lbs. 



1^23 . ' ^ . ■ :2 ^53,072 



1831 '^93,131 327,940 



1S36 981, o8o ....... 809,559 



1841 871,136 732,720 



1846 1.477,168 — 



1849 1,084,272 — 



1850 3,495,632 — 



The imports of castor oil come chiefiY from the East India Com- 

 pany's possessions, and were as follows, nearly all being retained 

 for home consumption : — 



lbs. I lbs. 



1830 490.658 ; 1837 957,164 



1831 343,373 ' 1838 837,143 



1832 257,386 j 1839 916,370 



1833 316,779 , 1840 1,190,173 



1834 685,457 ! 1841 869,947 



1835 1,107,115 i 1842 490,156 



1836 9Y2,552 j 1843 717,696 



In 1841, 12,i06 Indian inannd^ of castor oil were shipped from 

 Calcutta alone, and 7,906 ditto in 1842. 



In 1842, 8 cases were shipped from Ceylon, 10 in 1843, 24 in 

 1844, and 14 in 1S45. 



1,439 barrels were shipped from Xew Orleans in 1847. The 

 quantity brought down to that city from the interior was 1,394 

 barrels in 1848, and 1,337 barrels in 1849. 



"Within the last year or two, an attempt has been made to intro- 

 dace the cake obcained in expressing the seeds of the castor oil 

 plant as a manure, which is deser\dug attention, both because it ia 

 in itself likely to prove a serviceable addition to the list of fer- 

 tilizers which may be advantageously employed, and because it 

 may lead to the use of similar substances, which are at present 

 neglected, or thrown aside as refuse. 



The castor oil seed resembles in chemical composition the 

 other oily seeds. It consists of a mixture of mucilaginous, albu- 

 minous, and oily matters ; and the former two of these are identical 

 in constitution and general properties with the substances found 

 in linseed and rape cake, while the oil is principally distinguished 

 by its purgative properties. The cake obtained is in the form of 

 ordinary oilcake, but is at once distinguished from it by its color, 

 and by tlie large fragments of the hask of the seeds which it 

 contains. It is also much softer, and may be easily broken down 

 with the hand. I have analysed two samples of castor cake, 

 stated to have been obtained by different processes ; and though 

 I have not been informed of the exact nature of these processes, 

 I infer, from the large quantity' of oil, that one must have been 

 cokl-di'awn. The first of the following analyses is that of he 

 sample which I believe the cold-drawn. It is the most complete 

 of the two, and contains a determination of the amount of oil. 

 In the other analysis this was not done, but there was no doubt 

 on mv i:i-iid ■TiAit IT- quantitv was much smaller. 



2 V 



