NOTES  ON  JAPAN  WAX. 
563 
beck,  the  wax  of  Rhus  succedanea  completely  resembles  the 
Japanese  Wax  found  in  trade,  and  when  treated  with  sulphuric 
acid  its  surface  becomes  of  a  reddish  brown,  as  does  that  of  bees- 
wax, the  acid  remaining  uncolored.  The  seeds  of  another 
Japanese  tree,  Rhus  vernicifera,  D.  C,  also  contain  a  tallow- 
like oil,  which  is  used  in  the  making  of  candles. 
"  Japanese  Wax  very  much  resembles  white  wTax,  but  it  is  less 
white,  more  yellowish,  and  in  substance  is  more  tender  and 
crumbling,  besides  which,  it  possesses  the  properties  we  have 
already  enumerated.  It  probably  contains  more  oxygen  than 
beeswax." 
In  the  Journal  de  Pharmacie,  for  December,  1842,  there  will 
be  found  a  paper  by  B.  Sthamer,  entitled,  "  Sur  la  composition 
de  la  Cire  du  Japan,"  containing  much  valuable  information 
upon  a  kind  of  wax  from  Japan,  which,  from  the  description 
given  by  the  author,  would  appear  to  be  identical  with  that  now 
imported.  The  author  states  that  he  undertook  to  investigate 
the  subject  at  the  desire  of  Liebig. 
From  the  above  evidence  it  is  quite  clear  that  a  kind  of  wax 
is  obtained  in  Japan  from  the  Rhus  succedaneum  of  Linn.,  but  it 
is,  at  the  same  time,  very  probable  that  other  plants  may  also 
yield  a  portion,  at  least,  of  the  present  wax  of  commerce  ;  more- 
over, this  wax,  in  some  of  its  characteristics,  so  strongly  resem- 
bles beeswax,  that  we  can  scarcely  believe  that  it  is  altogether 
of  vegetable  origin.  Mr.  P.  L.  Simmonds,  in  the  China  Tele- 
graph, gives  the  following  account  of  Japan  Wax  : — 
44  Rhus  succedanea,  the  species  which  furnishes  the  Japan 
Wax,  has  long  been  grown  in  our  greenhouses,  having  been  intro- 
duced from  China  nearly  a  century  ago.  It  might  be  raised, 
we  should  suppose,  in  the  Cape  and  Australian  colonies,  in  the 
Mauritius,  and  India,  and  would  be  far  preferable  as  an  oleagin- 
ous plant  to  the  species  of  candle-berry  myrtles  from  which  wax 
is  obtained.  It  will  grow  in  any  common  soil,  and  may  be 
readily  increased  by  cuttings.  We  shall  probably  soon  learn 
what  is  the  ordinary  mode  of  culture  in  the  plantations  of  Japan, 
and  whether  any  attention  is  paid  to  manuring,  pruning,  &c. 
The  wax  is  of  medium  quality,  between  beeswax  and  the  ordi- 
nary vegetable  tallows,  such  as  Bassia  butter,  Borneo  vegetable 
tallows,  Cocum  butter,  &c.    Though  there  are  shades  of  differ- 
