seeds of Omphalea diandra and 0. triandra are edible, and yield valuable oils (see Oils—Ouate, Bread-nut). They are cultivated, especially the former, in St. Domingo and Jamaica, under the names noisettier and " cob-nut." candle-nut, lumbang-nut, or country walnut (Aleurites moluccana, [A. triloba, Jatropha moluccanum, Croton moluccanum]), probably embracing several other varieties, is a native of the islands of the Pacific. It is found in N. Australia ; abounds in the Moluccaa, and most of the islands of the E. Archipelago, in the Malay Peninsula, Cochin China, and S. China ; it occurs in California, Chili, and Venezuela ; it is largely cultivated in Lower Bengal, and other parts of India ; it is found in Bourbon and Mauritius ; it has been introduced from Asia into the W. Indies, and has become naturalized in Jamaica. The fruit is the most valued product, and strews the ground beneath the treea at all seasons of the year. Each nut weighs about 160-170 gr., the kernel forming 4 of the total weight. The shell is covered with concretions of calcium car bonate. The juice is used for dyeing, and the calcined shells afford both a dye and a pigment. The kernels are eaten in most countries where the tree is common, usually after roasting or long keeping, or in combination with a condiment. Their flavour resembles that of walnuts or almonds. The nuts are commonly threaded on a reed or similar wick, and burnt for illuminating purposes. Analysis shows them to contain over 62 per cent. of oil, and more than 22 per cent. of nitrogenous substances ; the proportion of phosphoric acid is 1.67 per cent.; and the ash contains 30 per cent. of potassium phosphate, 39 per cent. of magnesium phosphate, and 22 per cent. of calcium phosphate. These figures suffice to show its value as an ingredient of cattle-foods, could it be deprived of its purgative qualities. Tahiti exported 700/. worth of the nuts in 1875. Levuka (Fiji) sent nuts to London to the amount of 1562l. in 1876, and 30401. in 1877. The oil has many uses (see Oils—Kukui).
is the fruit of Anacardium occidentale, a plant cultivated in the W. Indies, E. Indies, and other tropical countries. It grows on the W. African coast, from the Congo to Ambrizette, very abundantly. The plants yield a gum (see Resinous Substances—Cadjii). From the intermediate layer of the shell of the nut, is obtained a thick, black, oily, viscous juice, called cardole in the E. Indies. The kernels are eaten after having been roasted. They also yield an oil ; and from them, an excellent wine is said to be prepared in Brazil. (See Oils—Cashew.) edible fruit of Castanea vesca is well known. The tree is probably a native of S. Europe, from Spain to the Caucasus. In France, Italy, and Spain, it attains great size, and flourishes at 2500-2800 ft. in the Alps and Pyreneea. It is more abundant in Asia Minor, Armenia, and the Caucasus ; and is also found in America as far north as lat. 44°. It ripens its fruit in the warmer parts of Sootland, but rarely, if at all, in Ireland.
It is very largely oultivated in Tuscany, where the method employed is as follows :— Planta are raised from the fruits, placed in earth which has been repeatedly worked. The
plantations are generally situated near a stream, and the ground is shaded by hedges or trees. The space is divided into furrows, 6-7 ft. wide, in each of which, holes are dug about 3 hi. deep, and at a distance of about 6 in. from each other. In these holes, the nuts are placed, with the germs downwards. The use of manure is not largely resorted to. After two years, the plants are transferred to another part of the plantation, where they remain four years, after which they are placed where they are to remain permanently. The season usually chosen for transplanting is after the falling of the leaves, though it is frequently done even as late as February-March. There are two methods of grafting the tree (which is done at the age of 5-6 years); one is the primitive method of inserting the bud iu the end of a branch, with a slit in it, where it is retained by wax or other substances. The other, which has proved most successful, consists in cutting large rings of bark from the branches of the large or Spanish chestnut, and placing them on twigs of the ordinary kind ; this is a very delicate operation, requiring great care, and is performed in the following manner :—The bark of the Spanish chestnut is cut into circles on the twigs, where marks of buds appear, care being taken to have one or more buds on each circle or cylinder, the bark is then slightly beaten to loosen it from its position, and gently twisted by band, until a hollow cylinder of bark is obtained, which is then drawn up by the stem, that has been previously denuded of its bark in like manner. The cylinder of bark is then carried to the stem of the tree, which is grafted. This stem, having been previously denuded of its bark, and cut off down to the place where the ring is to be put on, is thou covered with the ring, which unites with the growing bark, and sends out shoots of its own variety. In this manner, a tree is covered with these rings, and the natural branches being cut down, all the force of the tree is expended in throwing out the shoots of the large chestnut from the grafted branches. Great care is always taken to cut off all shoots of the common chestnut that may appear near the grafted part, as they will otherwise interfere with its full development. The operation of grafting by rings is practised in Tuscany from 10th April to 1st May, that being the time when the sap is running most freely, just before the leaves and buds come out. A method of preserving the grafting buds so that they may remain good even after a year, is to place them in tin tubes filled with honey, and hermetically scaled immediately on their removal from the tree. Another method of transporting the grafting buds is by putting them into hermetically sealed tubes filled with water; this method can only be used for transporting the buds for distances accomplished under forty days.