THE LICORICE PLANT. 15 



The one is in horizontal position ; the other, perpendicular, rests upon 

 it. Through the center of the upper stone is an axle, to which is at- 

 tached a mule, which revolves it slowly in a circle (cart-wheel like) upon 

 the lower stone. A workman with a wooden shovel is constantly em- 

 ployed in keeping the roots beneath the revolving stone. When the 

 roots are sufficiently crushed they are placed with water in kettles and 

 boiled for twenty-four hours. They are then removed from the kettles 

 and placed beneath a screw-press, and all the juice is thoroughly 

 squeezed out, which runs into a cistern beneath. This juice is pumped 

 from the cistern and passed through a sieve into kettles and the boiling 

 resumed. The sediment from the strainer is again pressed. 



The contents of the boiling kettles is a second time filtered. When 

 boiled to the proper consistency it i removed to a broad, shallow kettle 

 over a slow fire, where workmen with spades continue to stir it until it 

 becomes dense enough for paste. Then it is removed and placed in 

 wooden molds of the size they wish the cakes or by workmen worked 

 into little rolls or sticks. When cold and hard the cakes are wrapped 

 in paper and boxes for export. 



The little rolls or sticks of licorice are placed upon shelves to dry. 

 When they become perfectly dry and hard they are packed in laurel 

 leaves in boxes. 



In preparing the root for market, women with knives scrape off the 

 bark and then cut it into bits of one-half inch or longer in length, as 

 the purchaser may wish. These are then dried in the sun and placed 

 in bags for export. 



In response to my question a manufacturer answered that licorice 

 paste may be adulterated with starch, rice flour, wheat flour, flour of 

 the carraba (locust bean), or even wood ashes; but he expressed the 

 opinion that the manufacturers of Catania could not be so recreant to 

 honesty as to resort to these base methods. 



The Chamber of Commerce of Catania report that in the year 1883 

 440,920 pounds of the root were prepared by the manufacturers and ex- 

 ported to the United States, in value amounting to $11,580, and that 

 79,126 pounds of the root were manufactured and exported to France, 

 in value amounting to $2,079, the total export for the year being 520,080 

 pounds of the root manufactured, valued at $13,659. 



As shown by my records for the year 1884, there were exported to 

 New York of licorice paste 112,746 pounds, valued at $14,965.85, and of 

 the root 14,047 pounds, valued at $567.24; the total value of the article 

 exported for the year being $15,533.09. 



ALBERT WOODCOCK, 



Consul. 



UNITED STATES CONSULATE, 



Catania, March 12, 1885. 



CULTIVATION OF LICOEICE IN PORTUGAL. 



REPORT BY VICE CONSUL-GENERAL WILBOR, OF LISBON. 



I have had the honor to receive your circular dated February 10, 1885, 

 propounding interrogatories in relation to the growth and cultivation 

 of licorice. 



I beg to report that licorice grows in Portugal, in a few districts, 

 spontaneously, but no use whatever is made of it. Such of the various 



