OLEUM LIMONlfc;. 119 



sponge, wrapping it round his fore-finger. With the other he places on 

 the sponge one of the slices of peel, the outer surface downwards, and 

 then presses the zest-side (which is uppermost) so as to give it for the 

 moment a convex instead of a concave form. The vesicles are thus 

 ruptured, and the oil which Issues from them is received in the sponge 

 with which they are in contact. Four or five squeezes are all the work- 

 man gives to each slice of peel, which done he throws it aside. Though 

 each bit of peel has attached to it a small portion of pulp, the workman 

 contrives to avoid pressing the latter. As the sponge gets saturated 

 the workman wrings it forcibly, receiving its contents in a coarse 

 earthen bowl provided with a spout ; in this rude vessel, which is 

 capable of holding at least three pints, the oil separates from the watery 

 liquid which accompanies it and is then decanted. 



The ;)deld is stated to be very variable, 400 fruits afibrding 9 to 14 

 ounces of essence. The prisms of pulp and the exhausted pieces of 

 peel are submitted to pressure in order to extract from them lemon 

 juice, and are said to be also Subjected to distillation. The foregoing 

 is termed the sponge-process ; it is also applied to the orange. It 

 appears rude and wasteful, but when honestly performed it jdelds an 

 excellent product. 



Essence of lemon is prepared at Mentone and Nice by a different 

 method. The object being to set free and to collect the oil contained in 

 the vesicles of the peel, an apparatus is employed, which may be thus 

 described : — a stout saucer or shallow basin of pewter, about 8^ inches 

 in diameter with a lip on one side for convenience of pouring. Fixed 

 in the bottom of this saucer are a number of stout, sharp, brass pins, 

 standing up about half an inch ; the centre*of the bottom is deepened 

 into a tube about an inch in diameter and five inches in length, closed 

 at its lower end. This vessel, which is called an ecuelle a piqiier, has 

 therefore some resemblance to a shallow, dish-shaped funnel, the tube 

 of which is closed below. 



The workman takes a lemon in the hand, and rubs it over the sharp 

 pins, turning it round so that the oil-vessels of the entire surface may 

 be punctured. The essential oil which is thus liberated is received in 

 the saucer whence it flows down into the tube ; and as this latter 

 becomes filled, it is poured into another vessel that it may separate 

 from the turbid aqueous liquid that accompanies it. It is finally 

 filtered and is then known as Essence de Citron au zeste. A small 

 additional produce is sometimes obtained by immersing the scarified 

 lemons in warm water and separating the oil which floats oft". 



A second kind of essence termed Essence de Citron distillee is 

 obtained by rubbing the surface of fresh lemons, or of those which 

 have been submitted to the process just described, on a coarse grater of 

 tiimed iron, by which the portion of peel richest in essential oil is 

 removed. This grated peel is subjected to distillation with water, and 

 yields a colourless essence of very inferior fragrance, which is sold at a 

 low price. 



Description^ — The oil obtained by the sponge process and that of 



^ For specimens of the Essence au zeste tiller of essences, Mentone ; and Messrs. G. 

 and of the Essence distillde of guaranteed Pannucio e figli, for an authentic sample of 

 purity Ave have to thank M. Medecin, dis- the essence made by the sponge pi'ocess in 



