32 Report of Schimmel § Co, 1922. 



called Ricioppi. These ripen after the normal crop and come from June blossoms. 

 D) Verdelli. They are summer fruits, forced to premature ripening by a special process. 

 The trees are left dry until the end of July, but then watered profusely. This causes 

 an abundant bloom in August and September, so that the still greenish fruits can 

 already be gathered in the following summer. Although this proceeding shortens the 

 life of the treesfrom 80 to 40 or 50 years, the yield of Verdelli offers ample com- 

 pensation for this disadvantage. E) Bastardi or Bastardoni. These are the names of 

 the belated fruits of the Verdelli crop, gathered in August. It is said that the rotatory 

 power of the oil from Bastardoni and Bianchetti is not higher than 54 01 ). 



For the manufacture of the essential oil, only such lemons are used, the abnormal 

 size or form or other undesirable qualities of which make them unfit for being ex- 

 ported. These rejected fruits amount to about 25 per cent, in the Palermo and Siracusa 

 districts, whereas in those of Messina and Catania they may come up sometimes to 

 75 or even 80 per cent, of the crop. 



According to De Salvo, 63000 lemons yield 100 Sicilian pounds = 32 kilos of 

 oil. The same as with the bergamots, more and better oil is obtained from green 

 than from ripe fruits. In consequence, the lemons gathered from December to February 

 are to be preferred. The lemons growing near the coast of Amalfi (Campania), for instance, 

 which ripen very late (in summer), contain so little oil that is does not pay to obtain it. 



Messina is the most important Sicilian export harbour for lemon oil, although a 

 certain part goes from Catania and Siracusa. Reggio is the centre for the oils produced 

 in Calabria. 



Of the various methods of determining the citral content, Holtz considers to be 

 the best those of Walter and Bennett (with hydroxylamine)' 2 ), Kleber /with phenyl- 

 hydrazine) and Romeo (with neutral and acid sodium sulphite). The last-named method, 

 by means of which according to Berte and Patane 3 ) a citral content of 4 to 5.6 per cent, 

 is found for good lemon oils, is used in the laboratory of the Messina Chamber of 

 Commerce. Patane thinks 4 ) that far too much value is attached in commerce to the 

 citral content, which ought not to be less than 4 per cent. 5 ). The aroma of the oil 

 depends on other constituents, present in small quantities and which do not come 

 into consideration for the usual chemical analysis. The lemon oils of the finest aroma, 

 i. e. those of the November/December crop, contain less citral than the inferior 

 qualities of February/March. 



Orange Oil, bitter. — The lowest price level was reached towards the middle of 

 June, with 17 Lire, until in the middle of July the general rjse of all the citrus oils 

 also affected this article. The climax was 50 Lire, end of September, but already in 

 October the price had gone down again to 34 Lire. The new crop is satisfactory, and 

 as there are old stocks from 1920 one may reckon with a continued feeble tendency 

 for the next months. 



Orange Oil, sweet. — The price, which in March 1921 was still 40 Lire, sank to 

 one half of it towards the middle of June, hardened gradually during the months of 

 July and August, reaching its highest stage end of the latter month at about 47 Lire. 



J ) According to other observations, +54° is the lowest limit, down to which the optical rotation may 

 go. Comp. Gildemeister and Hoffmann, The Volatile Oils, 2 nd edition, vol. Ill, p. 17. — 2 ) In our opinion this 

 method is to be preferred, although the figures arrived at are 10 per cent, too low, referred to the amount of 

 citral present. Comp. Report October 1909, 154. — 3 ) Riv. Ital. Essenze e Prof. 1919, I., p. 7 and 30. — *) Id. p. 7. 

 — 6 ) Comp. Report April 1914, 58. 



