Pure and Mixed Linseed- Cakes. 
27 
and the peculiar striated appearance of the shiny, brittle, and 
modelled-looking- seed-shell, -j^- r., ^ -i ■, 
The shelled seed is white, and ^^S" ^^--Castor-otl-hean. 
lull of a purgative oil. ^;«r^^^^ 
Castor-oil-cake, or castor- „ '' ^ 
poonac, is a powerful purga- >^grK ^.jo^^^ ' ^ ^ 
live medicine, and, when ffS^^ |K^?^ ^^^-^ 
mixed with linseed-cake, im- WSmffM " ^ ^ 
parts poisonous properties to it. ^J^J^^ ^'f^^ ^ 
It is very rich in nitrogen, ^®P^^ ^i>' '^^ ':Aj, 4S^^ 
as will be seen by the fbllow- ^ M'^. '^ 'P^M 
ing analysis of a sample lately 
analysed by me : — "^^^^ii^!^^,^^^ 
Composition of Castor-oil-Cahe, or Casior-Poonac. 
Moisture 9-95 
* Organic matter 81 '07 
Phosphate of lime and magnesia 4 "49 
t Alkaline salts 1-80 
Sand 2-69 
lGO-00 
* Containing nitrogen 8*69 
Equal Jo ammonia 10'55 
t Containing phosphoric acid "06 
Equal to tri basic phosphate of lime .. .. '13 
Castor-cake, on account of the large amount of nitrogenous 
matters which it contains, is a powerful fertilizer, but should 
never be mixed with feeding-cakes. 
I have repeatedly found castor-cake in linseed-cake, which 
had been sent to me for examination on account of the 
injury the adulterated cake had done to cattle. Its presence 
in oilcake can only be recognized under the microscope by 
the peculiar appearance and structure of fragments of the seed- 
shells. 
16. Bassia-Cake. — The seeds of several species of Bassia 
indigenous to India, yield solid t-,- x> • i 
oils or fats. Yig. 22. -Bassra-seed. 
Mahower (^Bassia latifolia) is y^^;^^^^^^^^ 
common in most parts of the /^C4f ' 
Bengal Presidency. The seed- ^K^f^ * I 
kernels have a light reddish- ; ■ ^ \' 
brown colour; they are |HKC" ')\'^ > _^ /' , i i i. 
rounded by a yellow-coloured, ^K^^p^^/^';^^V^ .'^j \' 
bright-looking thin leathery seed- ^^Bfew^:-^^' ^ r " ^ 
shell, and are about the size of ^^f^ff^''' / ^ 
an acorn. ^o 'T^-"^ <^^^ 
The appended woodcut ill us- ^ 
