164 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST, [September i, 1887 
Aad upon this account they insist that it would be a 
good rather than a bad thing for them, as well as 
for the public, if the law require a specific labeling 
of the pro lucts into which it enters, and, going fur- 
ther, they aver that it would be even a wise and 
beneficial thing for manufacturers like Armour & Co. 
to be open in the matter in dealing with the public, 
inasmuch as the public would recognize on investig- 
ation that the use of the oil as an ingredient would be 
healthful while cheapening cost. 
A ton of cotton seed yields from 35 to 40 gallons 
of oil. It has recently been stated by persons famil- 
iar with the business that 500,000 tons of seed were 
crushed in the mills last year. The oil product was there- 
fore from 17,500,000 to 20,000,000 gallons. Mr. Armour 
admits that he used in bis lard factory one-fifth of 
this, or from 3,500,000 to 4,000,000 gallons. Three or 
four years ago the president of the then existing 
Crushers' Association declared that one pound of 
cotton seel oil would go as far as one and one-quarter 
pounds of lard." 
It is very much cheaper than lard. In the calendar 
year 188G there were exported from this country 6,574,000 
gallons of this oil, valued at a little less than 40 
cents a gallon. A large part of the oil exported is 
said to come back to us in the form of olive oil, so- 
called. It appears that exporters and Armour & Co. 
take about one-half of the entire product. A large 
quantity must be used by other manufacturers of lard 
wuo compete with Armour & Co. 
There seems no longer to be the ardent desire that 
once was supposed to exist for keeping iu utter secrecy 
the business corporation having the monopoly of this 
cotton seed oil production. A gentleman largely 
interested in the Cotton Seed Oil Trust, as the cor- 
poration is called, gave some interesting facts regard- 
ing that business recently. The 6,500,000 bales of 
cotton that makes the crop of the country, he says, 
turus out 3,250,000 tons of cotton seed, most of which 
falls to the ground and is uaharvested. About 700,000 
tons are used now, and that sends something like 
$7,000,000 iuto the South as au absolutely new income 
to planters there. The oil mills in the trust comprise 
90 out of the 05 mills that have been established in 
the country, all of the large mills in fact. The trjst 
also controls 27 refineries, and the refiueries and mills 
alike are controlled by nine trustees, who have issued 
certificates to the various companies representing their 
value ; this whole capitalization is somewhat less than 
$40,000,000. Such a monopoly of course has vast 
profits in it, it being estimated that at least $4.50 is 
net profit on each ton they use annually. 
With what amouuts to a centralization management 
of the 90 mills iu the trust extensive economies of 
course are possible, and thus, even allowing for large 
profits, it is that it is found possible by such food pro- 
ducers as Armour & Co. to buy quantities of it at prices 
that enable them to put it into lard to cheapen that 
article. It is an open secret that much more than a 
half of the olive oil that is consumed iu this country 
is iu fact merely this same oil of the American cot- 
ton seed. It is seutalso in large quantities to Eogland 
and Germany, where it enters into lardine, butterine, 
and olive oil the same as on this side of the water. 
Holland imports );reat cargoes of it to make Dutch 
cheese. The oil refinery at Providence sold 4,000 barrels 
last year to preserve sardines in. Soap is made by the 
thousand boxes in Chicago with the same base. And 
along with all this is the assertion that the industry 
as yet is in its infancy. There is no telling iuto how 
many food products it will enter speedily, nor how 
largely. 
It is stated that in addition to making $4.50 on 
each ton of seed used in making oil, the trust obtains 
750 pounds of "cake" from the crushed seed, which is 
rnHrkotablo at a good price for food for cattle in 
this country an 1 in Europe. — Australasian and South 
A mtrivan. 
. 4 
JAEKAH WOOD. 
•Tirrah wood (Eucalyptus marginatu) is a proluct 
of WVst ru Australia, where it is found in considerable 
abundance Mr. Thomas Laglett, Timber Inspector to 
the Admiralty, in his valuable work, " Timber and 
Timber Trees, Native and Foreign," says of it: — 
" It is of straight growth and very large dimensions, 
but, unfortunately, is liable to early decay in the 
ceutre. The sound trees, however yield solid and 
useful timber of from 20 feet to 40 feet iu length 
by 11 inches to 24 inches square, while those with 
faulty centres furnish only indifferent squares of 
smaller sizes or pieces unequally sided, called flitches. 
The wood is red in color, hard, heavy, close in text- 
ure, slightly wavy in grain, and with occasionally 
enough figure to give it value for ornamental pur- 
poses ; it works up quite smoothly, anil takes a good 
polish. Cabinet makers may, therefore, readily em- 
ploy it for furniture ; but for architectural and other 
works, where great strength is needed, it should be 
used with caution, as the experiments prove it to be 
somewhat brittle in character. Some few years since 
a small supply of this wood was sent to the Wool- 
wich Dockyard, with the view to test its quality 
and fituess for employment in shipbuilding ; but the 
sample did not turu out well owing to the want of 
proper care in the selection of the wood iu the 
colony." 
The clerk of works at Freemantle, iu reporting upon 
the opinions expressed by shipbuilders and others says : 
" The sound timber resists the attack of the Teredo 
navalis and white ant. On analysis by Professor Abel, 
it was found to contain a pungent acid that 
was destructive to life. The principle, however, was 
not found to be present in the unsounl portions. 
Great care is therefore necessary in preparing the 
wood for use by flitching the log so as to cut ail 
the defective portions of the heart out, and using 
only the perfectly sound timber." 
Very much has been sail about jarrah being subject 
to split when exported to Eugland in logs. It must 
be borne in mind that its density renders seasouiug 
very slow, and that the inner portions of the larger 
trees are often in a state of decay, even while the 
outer portions are in full vigor. A tree under these 
conditions, the inner portions comparatively dry, and 
the outer full of sap, shipped at once to such a 
variable climate as that of England, very naturally 
bursts from unequal shrinkage, being also exposed to 
very great changes of temperature. To obviate this 
peculiarity and apparent defect, let the jarrah be 
felled when the sap is at the lowest ebb, and care- 
fully flitched, as previously suggested. 
The methods adopted iu seasoning jarrah are as 
follows : — The logs are thrown into the sea and left 
there for a few weeks : they are then drawn up 
through the sand, and after being covered with sea- 
weed a few inches deep, are left to lie on the 
beach, care being taken to prevent the sun getting 
at their euds. The logs are then left many months 
to season. When taken up they are cut into boards 
seven inches wide, and stacked so as to admit of a 
free circulation of air round them for five or six 
months before using them. 
In a communication forwarded to India by H. E. 
Victor, Esq., e. E., of Perth, in reply to inquiries 
made by some gentlemen engaged in the carrying 
out of several large contracts for public works in 
India, he says: — " Undoubted authority is unanimous 
iu declaring that the timber of the jarrah, under 
certtiu conditions, is indestructible." 
Professor Vou Mueller, Gwernmeot Botanical Di- 
rector of Victoria, says: — "Its wood is indestructible; 
is attacked neither by chelura, teredo, nor termites, 
and is therefore much sought after for jetties and 
other structures exposed to sea-water. Vessels built 
with this timber have been enabled to do away 
with all copper-plating. It is very strong, of a close 
grain, slightly oily and resinous in its nature, works 
well, takes a fine finish, and is, by shipbuilders in 
Melbourne, considered superior to oak, teak, or any 
other wood for their purpose." 
The committee of Lloyd's, after the representations 
of His Excellency Governor We'd, determined to rank 
this timber with those in line 3, Table A, of the 
Society's rules; thus ranking it with Cuha sabicu, 
pencil cedar, etc., for the construction and classific- 
