Ferdinand von Mueller

1

Letter not found. The text given here is from 'Factory for seed oils', Australasian, 9 May 1868, p. 602 (B68.05.04). The letter, without the last paragraph and valediction, was reprinted in Brisbane (B68.06.04, B68.06.06).

Sir,—

To a French gentleman, Monsieur A. Tonnet, is due the credit of having, first of all, in this country, established a factory for the pressure of oils, and thus I have all the more pleasure in submitting to you, Sir, a paper, in which M. Tonnet well explains his views on this important industrial subject.

2

M's letter is followed by a commentary that is probably a paraphrase of Tonnet's text.

It is needless to assure you that I hail with delight his practical measures for drawing new crops of culture into more extended local utility. By steps in this direction the great monotony of cereal culture, so exhaustive to the land, will be lessened, and a variety of new handicrafts arise from the additional support of artisans. It is scarcely to be credited that the oil seeds for M. Tonnet's factory have, in first instance, to be imported from India and other distant countries, and inasmuch as, even under this disadvantage, the spirited founder of the establishment is hopeful to render his invested capital lucrative, agriculturists here in general should feel encouraged to give practical attention to a branch of agronomy which, while it returns the mineral substances of vegetable nutrition, through stable fodder (cheaply repurchaseable), to the soil, holds out prospects not formerly existing, of profitable local sale of any seeds containing fixed oils. Experiments instituted for a series of years in the Botanical-garden of Melbourne have shown how vigorous is the growth of many oil-yielding plants not as yet universally known in this country. Thus, besides flax, hemp, colza, ricinus, sunflower, almonds, which we may meet in many places under culture, it would be well to see, also, the Abyssinian and East Indian guizotia (yielding the sweet ramtil oil), the Chilean and Californian madia, the West Indian earth-nut, and perhaps the middle European camelina here on our farm fields. All the plants just mentioned are of annual growth, and thus become quickly reproductive. There exist also some native oleaginous plants the yields of which may now be tested advantageously.

In the first instance the extensive cultivation of ricinus for castor-oil recommends itself as highly desirable. In no country of the world does this plant develop itself more profitably than here, while the simple and easy process of gathering the seeds might be readily effected by invalids and children. It would afford pleasure to the writer to supply seeds of ricinus from the Botanical-garden to initiate here the extensive growth of this important plant.

Melbourne Botanical-garden, May 5