226 STATE BOARD OF HORTICULTURE. 



from September to January in South Australia. It can be done 

 easily enough with the aid of cool chambers; and provided 

 lemons of the desired quality are plentiful and cheap, it should 

 pay to do so. If my conclusions that our lemon country will 

 yet be found in the hills, or southeast, be correct, it may be that 

 grottos may be tunneled into the hills, where the fruit can be 

 kept at a temperature not exceeding 60° Fahr. until midsummer. 

 In the cool chambers they should be kept at 40° to 45° Fahr. 



MANUFACTURED PRODUCTS OF THE LEMON. 



Lemon Juice. — There are two qualities, "agro crudo," which 

 is the natural juice of the lemon, and "agro cotto," which is 

 the juice in concentrated form, and keeps much better than the 

 other. The juice after being pressed from the poorer quality 

 lemons is left to settle for a time. It is then boiled in large 

 tinned copper pans one third full. While boiling it is fre- 

 quently stirred with an iron rod having the knob end wrapped 

 in canvas to prevent it damaging the bottom of the copper, and 

 to keep the sediment from sticking. As the quantity decreases 

 the coppers are replenished from supplementary coppers, kept 

 hot for the purpose, so that the process of evaporation shall not 

 be checked. When the required density is attained it is poured 

 into vats to cool, and is finall}^ drawn off into casks for export. 

 The original volume is reduced by this process to about one 

 eighth, and the concentrated liquid should contain about thirty 

 per cent of citric acid. 



Citrate of Lime. — Until recently the manufacture of citric 

 acid was almost neglected in Sicily; but of late years the 

 industry has been developed to a greater extent. Still most of 

 the lemon juice is either sent away in the concentrated form 

 above described, or is changed into citrate of lime, this sub- 

 stance being readily made and is easily carried. The value of 

 the citrate depends largely on the purity of the chalk employed. 

 "The concentrated juice is first clarified with whites of eggs, 

 and warmed. It is then drawn off and filtered into tinned 

 boilers, in which it is heated nearly to boiling point and 

 thoroughly saturated with finely powdered chalk, which is 

 added gradually to the liquid while it is being continuously 

 stirred until the effervescence caused by the admixture of the 



