Essential Oils 



361 



Geranium Oil. This material is obtained by distilling the leaves of certain species of 

 pelargonium cultivated in Spain, France, Algeria, and Reunion. 



Lemon Grass Oil. This is prepared in India from the grass of the same name (Anaropogon 

 citratus). It has an intense lemon odour and is used for perfuming soaps. 



Lavender Oil. This is prepared by distillation from various lavender plants. In England 

 Lavandula vera is cultivated largely in Surrey, Hertfordshire, Kent and Lincoln for this purpose. 



Oils obtained from Citrus species. These include the important oils procured from such 

 well-known fruits as the orange, lemon, lime and bergamot, all produced by citrus trees. 

 These oils are made chiefly in Sicily and Calabria (Southern Italy), though some of them are 

 also obtained from the South of. France and the West Indies. They are, as already indicated, 

 made by " expression " or " pricking " processes. The most important of them, as 

 perfumery agents, are orange oil made from the rind of the "sweet orange, mandarin oil 

 prepared from the peel of the mandarin orange, bergamot oil extracted from the bergamot 

 fruit rind, and lime oil made chiefly in Montserrat and other West Indian islands from limes. 



Other oils of this species are Neroli, Ylang ylang, Patchouli. Opopanax, and Bay. 



Oils used as Flavouring Agents 



Lemon Oil. This is prepared principally in Sicily by the expression processes already 

 described from the rind of the ordinary lemon. The chief centre of the trade is Messina. 



Essential Oil of Almonds is obtained from bitter almonds by grinding these with water and 

 steam-distilling. The crude product is submitted to a chemical process of purification to get 

 rid of the poisonous prussic acid it contains. 



By permission oj Messrs. W. Ransom & Sons, Hitchin 



GATHERING BELLADONNA 



