The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1880-08-10
The OIL Palm Tree.

Palm Family, the products of few only
have found their way into American and
European commerce, the most valued be-
ing those OF the Cocoanut, the Date and
tho OH Palms. Of these the appearance
| OF the last Is the least familiar to most per-
sons aa unlike the others, it has never
hitherto been accurately pictured in scicn-
tlfic and popular works. In Western
tropical Africa there are vast regions
thlckly covered with the members of this
species, and 1t Is from this torrid region,
especially from the River Bonny, that the
largest quantities of palm oil find their
way into the the American markets. The
trade with the natives is carried on chiefly
ny barter, glass beads of various forms,
sizes, and colors being among the principal
articles OF exchange. The trunk of the
tree from which palm oil Is obtained is sell
dom over thirty feet high, and is surmount-
ed with tuft of long pinnate leaves garn-
ished with prlclly petioles. The flowers
are dioccious, and borne in dense heads.
sometimes two feet long and two or more
feet in circumference In these closely
crowded spadices the fruit is 80 compactly
clustered that the punches bear a strong re-
semblance to large piue-apples. The indie
vldual fruits arc about an inch and half
long, somewhat pear-shaped and when fully
ripe OF bright orange color. They con-
sist of an outer soft, pulpy substance from
which the best oil is obtained, inside which,
forming about one. fourth of the whole, IS a
very hard, stony shell inclosing the seeds,
and yielding when caushcd, clear, limpld
product called palm-nut oil. The fruit
when sufficiently ripe, are gatherc1 by men,
boiled in large earthcnware pots by women,
and then crushed in mortars. lThey are
next placed in large clay vats filled with
water, and women tread out the oil which
rises TO the surface aud Is SKINNED off. 1t
is then once more boiled to get rid of the
water, and packed away in barrels or casks
for exportat!on. 1t still retains the color
ing matter of the fruit, which is removed by
subsequent processes in numerous factories
III Europe, either by bleaching in shallow
pans on tho surface of hot water or by vari-
lous chemical methods of treatment. AS
each drupe affords only about one sixteenth
OF an ounce of pure oil and each tree only
three or four pounds on immense amount
OF labor is required to procure the product
and vast area of forest Is annually destroy
cd to supply the demands Of commerce,
Good palm oil is fatty substance of the
consistency of butter, of rich orange color,
sweetish taste, and an oder like that of
vlolets or orris root. Is is now extensively
used in the manufacture Of candles, soap,
and also ss an axle grease, chiefly for the
wheels of railroad cars. At temperature
of from rs degrees to 95 degrees F. it
melts to very thin fluid, and the Older 1t
is, the greater the heat required to liquify
it. by age and exposure it becomes rancid
and assumes whitish tingc. 1t is per-
IN, af1 II:
alcohol, but readily dissolves in hot alcohol,
though on cooling it solidiics 1t consists
OF margarine, oleine, and solid fat like
stearine, which is called palmatine, and
CONSTITUTES two-thrds of its weight. Palm
OIL is used more extensively for the manu-
facture Of candles than for any other pur-
pose and the process, though somewhat
lengthy, is highly interesting. Having been
melted by jet of steam introduced into
the casks, and freed from all impurities, it
is mixed with from one seventh to one
sixth of its weight of sulphuric acid and
briskly agitated for about two hours in
which steam maintains temperature of
about $50 degrees. The sulphuric acid and
the glyccrine, which Is an ingredient of Its
component fats, are in this way dccom-
posed and escape partly by subsequent
washing. The impure acids are then distil-
led in copper stills steam-hea!ed to a temp
crature of 600 degrees. The dark residue
in the boilers is made to yield still more
oil by heavy pressure and the black refuse
that remains is used for fuel. When cool
ed, the distilled fat Is broken into cakes
eighteen inches long and about an inch
and thrcc-quarters thick. These are spread
upon squares of cocoa-nut mltting and arc
then piled Oh top of each other and submit
ted to hydraulic pressure at a temperature
OF scventy-flve degrees. The fat obtained
may be run at once into candles for the
European and American markets, but for
tropical use, it is again submitted to pres
sure at tcmpcrasure Of 100 degrees.