OLIVES, ORANGES, PERFUMES 



Raisins, as well as of many other important and interesting 

 plants. 



The olive crop in Italy yields about ninety millions of 

 gallons of olive-oil every year. The olives are collected as 

 soon as they become ripe, and are crushed in circular stone 

 troughs with a perpendicular millstone. The paste is then 

 pressed in bags and afterwards clarified by passing through 

 cotton wool.^ To the eye of a foreigner the white gnarled 

 stems and silver-green foliage of the olive groves are not 

 particularly attractive. 



Near Burriana, in Spain, one may walk for miles through 

 the plantations of oranges. The dark-green glossy leaves 

 and golden fruit of the orange make a most beautiful con- 

 trast, but the dry, thirsty soil, and the careful way in which 

 the water is regulated and supplied by small gutters, most 

 jealously watched over, make the tourist realize the difficulty 

 of agriculture in so dry and arid a country. 



The Myrtle is not a very important plant nowadays, 

 though its berries are still eaten and myrtle wreaths used to 

 be worn by the bride at every wedding. In classical times 

 it was sacred to Venus, but the victors in the Olympian 

 games were also crowned with myrtle, and the magistrates at 

 Athens had the same privilege. It is no longer used as a 

 medicine and for making wine. It is really a native of 

 Persia, but has been introduced to the Levant, Italy, France, 

 and Spain. 



It is along the Riviera that one finds a very curious and 

 interesting industry. This is the manufacture of perfumes 

 and essences from the petals of flowers. A great many 

 different flowers are used, such as the Garden Violet, Mig- 

 nonette (a native of Egypt imported in 1752), Lily of the 



* Jowmal Society of Arls^ August, 1896. 

 ii6 



