Tung Oil

Cultivation In America

THE present disastrous price of copra is causing Pacific Islands planters to in vestigate the possibilities of other crops.

Further information is to hand regarding tung oil (or China wood oil, as it is better known). The main supplies come from China, where Hankow wood-oil is regarded as the world’s best. The price at present is approximately £35 per ton.

According to an English trade journal, much attention is being paid to the in dustry in the United States. While culti vation has been carried on for some years in Florida and Louisana, the greatest activity appears to have been in Missis sippi, where on the Gulf Coast one planta tion alone exceeds 10,000 acres, and is being extended. A lumber company in Louisana has been planting its barren, unproductive land with Aleurites (Fordii) securing from a 65 acre plantation, eight tons of fruit in the fourth year, and 50 tons in the fifth.

There, and in the Mississippi, it is said that the yield per acre is double that of sugar cane, while the cost of upkeep and reaping is less than one-tenth the cost of cane cultivation.

Both the Aleurites, and the Eloeococca (or Montana) flourish on waste land and rocky soil, provided there is sufficient rain fall. The trees, which grow to 30 to 40 ft. high, need very little care, although they

respond to a certain amount of cultivation by bigger yields. The process of oil ex traction is fairly simple, not calling for expensive machinery, the essentials being presses and good filters. The nuts, when ripe, are split open, the seeds extracted, roasted, ground, and pressed.

The Empire Marketing Board (London) say that land suitable for cultivation of tung oil trees can be found within the Empire, whose requirements could be met if 400,000 acres were planted. The oil of the tung tree is used in the manufacture of varnish and paints. The East Indian tree, apart front its oil, provides a fine hard timber.

The question of selling the oil from Aus- Territories would depend on price offered, and the quality of seeds. Freight on this product works out at about 70/9 per ton from Melbourne/Sydney to London.

Tung Oil seed at 6d per lb., requiring 25lbs. of seed to the acre, may be obtained from the Director of Agriculture, Rabaul, New Guinea.

Sesame Oil Seeds

Here again it is a question of competing with products of India, China and East Africa. The prospects of business are not very favorable for this commodity from the Islands. Freight on this is about 63/per ton to London. As Chinese Sesame seed, whidh is most in favor, is offering without success at £11 per ton, Australian Sesame seed would have to compete at a very low price in order to find any market in Europe.