Airplanes - Materials - Castor Bean Culture, Dade City, Florida. Close view of castor plan showing the arrangement of the seeds. The castor oil which is made from the beans is used as a lubricant for airplane engines since high altitude does not freeze it. The industry is practically new in this country as a result of war needs. Several tons of castor seeds were supplied by the British government in order to get the industry properly started here. From Geo. H. Walker