SAMUEL RAE & CO. — LEGHORN, TUSCANY. 



cole to facilitate the flow of oil ; hot 

 water would be much more efficacious 

 and increase the yield, but then the 

 quality of the oil would suffer. The 

 oil and water which serves to collect it 

 pass into the tinello, a receiving vessel 

 which standsclose by the oil-press ; from 

 time to time the oil is skimmed off with 

 a shallow pan and transferred to the 

 chiaritoio, therein to settle, before it can 

 be considered salable, or fit to be put 

 into the coppajo, the oil-store, so named 

 from the large terracotta jars (coppi) in 

 which olive oil is generally kept in the 

 country districts. 



This first pressing of the olives alone 

 yields the finest oil — virgin oil it is 

 sometimes called. Too much stress 

 cannot be laid upon having a constant 

 supply of pure, fresh water; without 

 it the product is sure to be tainted ; and 

 the prevalence of olive oils with this de- 

 fect is in great part attributable to this 

 cause. It is equally essential that the 

 mills, presses, and other utensils should 

 be kept thoroughly clean and sweet ; 

 any neglect of this rule will render the 

 product defective. 



Treatment of Residue. 



The water which has been the medium 

 for collecting the oil as it issued from 

 the oil-press necessarily contains a 

 trifling quantity of oil, which, however, 

 in the course of the season, amounts to 

 something considerable. It is therefore 

 conducted to a large tank, placed at 

 somedistance from the/f^;7/o/o, to which 

 the suggestive name of inferno is given, 

 doubtless because it is the receptacle of 

 the dregs. A film of oil gradually forms 

 on the surface, which is skimmed off 

 from time' to time; but the stagnant 

 water gives this oil a bad smell, and olio 



d' inferno, as it is called, is fit only for 

 industrial purposes. 



The inferno is always located away 

 from the mill, lest any smell from it 

 should communicate itself to the fine 

 oil, which is very susceptible of being 

 tainted by anything of the kind. Care 

 must be taken lest any utensil which has 

 served for olio cV inferno should inad- 

 vertently be made use of in handling 

 fine oil ; for the latter would become 

 tainted, a few drops of the refuse oil 

 in question being enough to ruin a large 

 quantity of fine oil. 



A small quantity of oil of an inferior 

 kind is obtained by a second pressing. 

 The olive paste is again ground in the 

 mill with the addition of some hot 

 water, and pressed as before. If this 

 be done immediately after the first 

 pressing and before the paste can fer- 

 ment, the oil may be fairly good, 

 though deficient in ''body." But if 

 delayed at all, then the oil becomes 

 absolutely bad. • 



Even after these two pressings the 

 sansa, as the residue after being pressed 

 is called, contains some oil. This can 

 be extracted in two ways, but in both 

 the oil obtained is fit only for manufact- 

 uring purposes. It may be treated in 

 the frullino mill; first well ground with 

 the addition of hot water, thence passed 

 into an agitator, where the residue is 

 heated up with water until the broken 

 olive stones, washed quite clean, fall to 

 the bottom, while the refuse of the pulp 

 floats on the surface ; then by two sep- 

 arate conduits the stones are discharged 

 in one direction, the water and matters 

 held in suspension flowing into a series 

 of settling tanks, where any free oil 

 comes to the surface and is collected, 

 while the residue of the pulp is again 

 pressed and yields a little oil. Olio la- 



