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Entereu according- to Act of Congress, m June, 1869, by J. W. Burke & Cos., in the Clerk’s Office of the District Court of the United States for the So. District of Georgia Vol. Ill —No. 39 Written for Burke’s Weekly. CASTOR OIL, AND WHERE IT COMES PROM. _ w' n ALTER was sick, and the doctor said he must take some castor oil. Now, all of you children who have had castor oil given to you when you were sick, know that it is a most nauseous dose ; indeed, I do not know of a more dis agreeable medicine to take, and Walter is very much of my opinion ; but he is a good little boy, and does what his mamma tells him—so he took the dose of oil the doctor left for him the best way he could, but he made such a wry face that I am afraid some of you children would have laughed if you had been there. Walter laid very still a good long time, for the dose of medicine made him quite sick,'and he did not feci at all like moving about or talking But, in the afternoon, when he felt better, and there was no one in the room but his mamma, who sat sew ing near by, he began to think of the nauseous dose of medicine lie had taken, and said : “Mamma, where does castor oil Come from ?” “ Well, my son, that is a question which will admit of several answers. What you took this morning came from the drug store.” “But where did the druggist get it from, mamma?” “ I suppose from another druggist or wholesale dealer, and he from the manufacturer, or person that made it. But, as this leaves you no wiser than before, I will amuse you a little while, this afternoon, by telling you something about the history of the plant from which it is obtained, and how it is prepared.' “ Castor oil is a mild purgative which is obtained from the nuts of the castor oil plant, the botanical name of which is Ricinns Communis, and the more common na voq palma Christi. It came originally from Asia, and its medical MACON, GEORGIA, MARCH 26, 1870. qualities were known to the ancients. It has become naturalized, however, in Africa, America, and the South of Eu rope. It grows throughout the South ern States, and I have seen it growing luxuriantly on poor red land in this State. “ Here is a picture of the palma Christi in its native India. You see that it is quite a tall tree. In some parts of Europe it never grows to a greater height than three or four feet, but in Spain it attains greater size. In the Southern States of this country it sometimes grows as high as eight or ten feet.” “Why, mamma,” said Walter, “when I was at Aunt Ella’s, last year, I saw the palma Christi growing in her gar den. It looked a good deal like this in the picture, but was not near so tall, for this seems to be ever so much higher than the elephant, little house and all. But, mamma, please tell me how they Whole No. 143. I manage to get the oil from the pal |ma Christi .” | ‘ £ The seeds are first freed from the |pod, and then bruised. After which Itliey are put into a cold press and the oil expressed from them. The |oil is then allowed to stand for a I certain time, to free it from certain impurities; or else it is filtered, or allowed to run through a sort of cloth, which frees it from these for eign substances. This is the whole process, and it is a very simple one.” “ Why, mamma, if this is all, and the palma Christi grows in the South, I do not see why a great deal of oil is not made here.” “Nor I, my son. When I was a little girl, old Dr. Harden, of Wat kinsville, in this State, began to imake it, and continued it for some years, but finally gave it up, but I |never knew why. The manufacture -of castor oil is carried on now very lextensively at St. Louis, in Missouri, and it may be at other places, but as large quantities are brought into the United States from foreign countries every year, I should think it might be made profitable in this country.” “Is it only used as a medicine, j mamma V ! “ No, my son, it is used for a good many other purposes. In the East, in France, Italy, and other countries, j the people burn it in their lamps ; land in England and this country it is the basis of many of the prepara tions for the hair. The celebrated Rowland’s Macassar Oil, which was iSo much used in England years ago, ds nothing but castor oil, refined and perfumed. “ And now my little boy knows near ly as much about castor oil as his mo ther, and as he must be tired and sleepy by this time, mamma must stop talking to him.” Walter thanked his mother, and I think my little readers will be quite as much interested in wdiat she said as Walter was. Uncle Ollapod. Macon , Georgia.