338 OILS AND PATS, ETC. 



for the quantity and quality of their fruit. The best olive oils 

 come from the coast of Nice, Genoa, Lucca, and Tuscany. Excellent 

 ails are also obtained from Naples and Sicily, and they are at all times 

 a source of great wealth for certain parts of the country. The total 

 production is estimated at 1,767,000 hectolitres, of which 124,000 are 

 from Liguria. The province of Lucca alone derives nearly 40,000Z. 

 annually from it ; and even exports to America. Tuscany exports olive 

 oil to the value of nearly 80,000Z. a-year ; and the Neapolitan provinces 

 to the extent of about 740,000Z. 



The different kinds of oils are distinguished according to their 

 quality and the mode of preparation. The finest and the most 

 esteemed is fluid, of a yellow straw, or citron colour, rarely white, 

 colourless, sweetish, sometimes greenish, almost always clear, with- 

 out any smell, in taste insipid, or at least slightly bitter, with a 

 fruity flavour. It is obtained from perfectly sound and fresh olives, 

 after being crushed and squeezed, without previous fermentation. This 

 is what is called virgin oil, oil of first quality ; this oil is used pre-emi- 

 nently for seasoning food, and is known in commerce under the deno- 

 mination of Oil of Nice, Lucca Oil, or Italian Oil. 



The paste of olives, passed through a mill after the first squeezing, and 

 allowed to remain undisturbed for some time, then pressed again, produces 

 a fresh quantity of oil, inferior in quality to the above, and which may 

 be designated as second quality. Treated with boiling water the paste 

 furnishes a further quantity of oil, inferior to the above. This oil is 

 clear, of a rather strong citron colour, but sometimes quite colourless, of 

 a fatty flavour, slightly rancid, and sometimes also it has a little sul- 

 phurous taste. It is used for burning, or for making soap. 



The residuary matter, treated again with water, by means of 

 machines called fmllini, yields a further quantity of highly-coloured 

 thick cloudy oil, used for manufacturing purposes, and which is called 

 oil of frullino. 



In order to extract the whole quantity from the residue it is treated 

 with sulphur of carbon, which succeeds in extracting a still further 

 yield. Recently, Messrs. Danielli, of Buti, have offered for sale an oil of 

 lotis green, in a half concrete state, which nevertheless is capable of 

 becoming limpid and inflammable, and which they obtain by a process 

 of their own, utilising about 1 per cent, of the matter treated. 



In places where the extraction of the oil is less carefully attended to 

 than in Italy, and amongst oil-growers who are not so particular about 

 the quality of their produce, very little virgin, or first quality oil, is 

 made, as it is much more easy to obtain olive oil fermented, or arti- 

 ficially treated, and this with some appearance of a much larger yield, 

 but then they only produce inferior oil. 



The consumption of olive oil in Italy forms an important item in 

 the wants of the table, and for lighting purposes and soap-making. 

 The Venetians were the first to use oil in making soap, which was pre- 



