144 The Wild O^'ange of the South. 



orange-bark is one of the essentials used in the manufacture of curafoa, — 

 a high-priced and highly-prized liquor- 



The fruit of the sour orange yields many things. Of these, first is the 

 oil of the peel, called oil auranti, or oil of orange, used in confectionery and 

 perfumery, and worth two or two and a half dollars in gold per pound. 

 Then comes the orange-peel of commerce, the best of which, that of the 

 bitter-sweet orange, is worth in its dry state, as imported, from eight to ten 

 cents per pound in gold. The juice of the sour orange yields a large 

 quantity of citric acid, worth in market a dollar per pound. The juice and 

 pulp after the extraction of the citric acid yields quite a quantity of 

 saccharine matter, which can readily be converted into alcohol. 



Again : large cargoes of these sour oranges are annually sent from 

 Spain to Glasgow and other Scotch towns, where they are manufactured 

 into a sweet confection, highly appreciated by those able to afford it. This 

 sweetmeat is familiarly known as Scotch marmalade, and is made entirely 

 of sour oranges. Some of our leading firms in the United States who are 

 engaged in this line of business import from Spain great numbers of these 

 oranges, and ignore our own home-production : surely not from economy; 

 for we can furnish the sour orange for one-twentieth of what it costs to 

 import them. 



A pleasant wine (?) is made from the sour orange ; and it is much more 

 palatable than much of the stuff drunk under the name of wine. It has a 

 taste like fine old Madeira. There are many families living in Florida who 

 hardly use any other wine at table than this. It can be purchased in 

 many of the Florida towns, but never, I believe, reaches the North. Much 

 of it is manufactured in St. Augustine, where the sour orange grows 

 luxuiiantly. 



