488 
PEOCEEDINGS  OF  THE 
smoky  flame,  and  forms  rapidly  a  crust  upon  the  wick.  Others 
say  that  it  answers  for  both  purposes ;  but  all  I  have  met  with, 
upon  being  used  practically  for  lubricating  or  burning,  gave  very 
unsatisfactory  results. 
A  very  good  soap  is  made  from  it  at  New  Orleans  for  com- 
mon purposes ;  but  I  think  that  a  soap  in  every  respect  equal  to 
the  imported  Castile  could  be  cheaply  made  with  it. 
The  dark  color  of  the  oil  obtained  by  pressure  is  due  to  the 
presence  of  a  dark  resinous  substance,  presenting  itself  in  small 
dots  throughout  the  seed.  These  may  readily  be  seen  by  exam- 
ining a  section  of  the  seed  with  a  lens,  or  even  the  naked  eye. 
The  hull  and  attached  fibre  are  useful  for  paper  stock  ;  and 
the  cake  left  after  the  extraction  of  the  oil  is  nearly  as  valuable 
a  food  for  cattle  as  that  of  linseed. 
Mr.  Wayne  also  called  attention  to  a  sample  of  the  Oil  of  Pig- 
nut Hickory,  of  which  he  gave  the  following  account : 
The  Caraya  porcina,  commonly  known  as  the  pignut  hickory  > 
is  a  forest  tree  of  wide  range  in  North  America.  This  tree  pro- 
duces a  nut  which  contains  a  very  oleaginous  kernel,  between 
which  and  the  shell,  and  the  lobes  of  the  kernel,  a  corky  matter 
of  a  very  astringent  taste  is  deposited.  The  nut  in  consequence 
is  not  edible,  but  yields  by  crushing  and  pressure  a  light  yellow 
colored  oil,  possessing  a  bland,  slightly  astringent  taste  ;  the  as- 
tringent taste  is  due  to  the  accidental  presence  of  a  trace  of  the 
astringent  matter  mentioned,  which  might  easily  be  removed, 
and  then  it  would  be  equal,  for  many  purposes  of  the  pharma- 
ceutist, to  the  best  olive  oil. 
This  oil  has  been  for  several  years  past  an  article  of  commerce 
in  Ohio,  the  market  value  of  which  ranges  from  $1  to  $1.25 
per  gallon,  and  the  supply  of  late  has  not  been  equal  to  the  de- 
mand. 
It  is  very  rich  in  olein,  and  remains,  consequently,  fluid  at  a 
much  lower  temperature  than  most  fixed  animal  and  vegetable 
oils.  During  the  extreme  cold  of  last  winter  in  Cincinnati, 
where  sperm  and  other  oils  were  in  a  solid  condition,  this  oil 
thickened,  but  could  be  readily  drawn  from  the  vessel  contain- 
ing it. 
As  a  lubricator  it  is  said  by  those  who  have  used  it  to  be  equal 
to  sperm  oil,  or  for  the  purposes  of  illuminating  not  inferior. 
