THE OLIVE TREE IN THE SOUTH OF FRANCE. 25 



pressing are received and left to stand in large stone vessels or nietal 

 tanks, and the oil that gradually mounts to the surface is the second 

 quality oil. 



Now, the mass that is found in the baskets after the second press is 

 either stored to dry and sold as oil-cake, or is sold to special mills that 

 extract a third quality of oil by means of acids and other agents. But 

 this quality can not be used for table purposes ; it is, however, very 

 good for the manufacture of soap, and is largely used in this and other 

 industries. 



The oil that comes from the first and second presses is not generally 

 sold in its primitive state, but is refined and filtered, and it is in this 

 process that some manufacturers excel others. The principle of refin- 

 ing and filtering consists in letting the oil remain for a few weeks 

 in tanks or immense jars, during which period a sediment gradually 

 deposits itself at the bottom, and then passing the oil minus the deposit 

 through filtering papers specially prepared and sold for the purpose. 

 Some manufacturers even pass their superfine oil through specially pre- 

 pared cotton-wool, which is certainly an expensive process. 



After being filtered the oil is ready to be casked or bottled for con- 

 sumption. 



PRICES OF OIL. 



Concerning the prices of oil it is difficult to give any good idea, as so 

 much depends on freight and charges on the oil from the time it leaves 

 the mill till it reaches the consumer. .Really good oil in the mills in 

 this district brings from 100 to 120 francs per 100 kilograms ($8.75 to 

 $10.00 per 100 pounds), but prices of olive-oil in the Marseilles market 

 vary from 95 francs for common kitchen oil up to 200 francs for the 

 finest possible salad oil ($8.30 to $21 per 100 pounds), all according to 

 quality and mark. Oil for manufacturing purposes is worth from 80 to 

 90 francs ($7 to $7.90 per 100 pounds). 



ADULTERATION. 



In many places adulteration is carried on to a great extent and re- 

 fined cotton oil is largely used to mix with olive oil. Cotton oil being 

 from 20 to 30 per cent, cheaper, and being tasteless, lends itself very 

 iid \ iintageously to the adulteration of olive oil. It is an open secret, too, 

 that vast quantities of pure cotton oil are shipped and sold as olive oil 

 to those markets that prefer tasteless oil. Cotton oil is, however, used 

 under its own name by many people who prefer a tasteless oil for fry- 

 ing purposes. 



From the foregoing, it will be readily understood that olive-growing 

 and oil-pressing are two distinct professions and that they are better if 



