total extinction of the orange trade of St. Michaels and has induced landed proprietors to abandon the 

 replanting of their orange groves and to cultivate instead the vine and the sweet potato, the latter for 

 the consumption of two large distilleries." . 



Yours very truly, 



Joseph Sturge. 



MANUFACTURE OF LEMON ESSENCES IN SICILY. 



The following extract is taken from the London " Times" : — 



The United States Consul at Messina in a report on the cultivation of oranges and lemons in Sicily 

 describes The mode of manufacturing lemon essences. With three strokes of a sharp knife the cutter 

 peels the lemon lengthwise and lets the peel fall into a tub under the chopping block. He then cuts 

 the lemon in two and throws it from his knife into a bucket. He works with wonderful rapidity, and fills 

 from ton to twelve tubs wilh peel a day, and is paid 2|d. a tub, weighing 771b. His left hand and right 

 index finger aie protected with bands of osnaburgs or leather. The fresh peel is soaked in water 15 

 minutes before the essence is extracted. Peel that has stood a day or two remains soaking from 30 to 

 40 minutes that it may swell and offer a greater resistance to the sponge. The workman holds a small 

 sponge in his left hand, against which he presses each piece of peel two or three times — simple pressure,, 

 followed by rotary pressure. The women employed in this work run a piece of cane through their 

 sponges to enable them to hold them more firmly. The outside of the peel is pr-ssed against the spon 

 as the oil glands are in 1he er icarp. The crushing of the oil cells liberates the essence therein contained.. 

 The sponge, when saturated with the essence, is squeezed into an earthen vessel held in the lap. Tho 

 peel is so thoroughly pressed that not a single cell escapes. This is ascertained by holding the pressed 

 peel to the flame of a candle ; should it neither crackle nor diminish the brilliancy of the flame the cells 

 are empty. This process yields, besides the essence, a small quantity of juice and feccia (dregs). The 

 separation of the essence juice and feccia soon takes place if the vessels are not disturbed ; the oil floats 

 cn the juice and the dregs fall to the bottom. These three products derived from the peel have no 

 affinity with each other. As the essence rises to the surface it is skimmed off, bottled, and left to settle 

 for a few days. It is then drawn off with a glass siphon into copper cans, which are hermetically sealed. 

 After the essence has been expressed a small quantity of juice is pressed from the peels, which are then 

 given to oxen or goats or thrown on the manure heap and well rotted, or they would make too heating' 

 a fertilizer. The yield of essence is variable. The industry is carried on five months in the year. Im- 

 mature fruit contains the most oil. From November to April in the province of Messina 1,000 lemons 

 yield about 14oz. of essence and 17 gallons of juice. The essence is so valuable that the workmen are 

 closely watched, for they are most ingenious in secreting it about their persons. Six men work up. 

 8,000 lemons a day; two cut off the peel, while four extract the essence and obtain 136 gallons of lemon 

 -juice and 71b. of essence. Dealers sometimes adulterate their essences with fixed oils, alcohol, or tur- 

 pentine, but these mixtures may be easily detected. The essence of sour orange mixed with the essence- 

 of lemon produces an aroma similar to that of the essences of bergamot. 



FRUIT CANDYING IN ITALY. 



A good deal of interest has been drawn of late years in fruit- producing countries, especially in 

 some of our colonies, as to the best mode of preserving fruits for exportation. That of preserving them 

 in syrup in hermetically sealed tins has been found to answer well, and has become very generally 

 adopted ; but the process of candying with sugar is felt in some countries, and with some f ruits, to be 

 preferable, consequently enquiries are frequently made as to the modus operandi adopted in fruit candy- 

 ing countries on the Continent, about which little seems to have been known out of the country where 

 it is practised. 



The following account of this industry, which has just been drawn up by the British Consul at Leg- 

 horn, will, therefore we doubt not, be of considerable interest to our readers, especially to those in sugar- 

 producing countries : — 



Mr. O'Neill says : " It would be a mistake to suppose that Leghorn is a great centre for this indus- 

 try in all its branches. The candying of fruits, whole or cut. is carried on at many other places to a 

 larger extent. At Genoa, and westward along the French Riviera, at such places as Grasse, this indus- 

 try is carried on, and we know that in Spain and Portugal fruits are also candied, Madeira being espe- 

 cially noted amongst the possessions of the latter for this manufacture. 



"Moreover, upon enquiry, I find that in this city of over 100,000 inhabitants only seven establish- 

 .ments are occupied in the manufacture, and that these seven when in full working, only employ about 

 200 hands. Leghorn can hardly, therefore, be considered a great centre of the fruit candying industry. 

 It does, however, I believe occupy the first place in Italy, and, perhaps, throughout the Mediterranean 

 for the preparation of the candied citron and orange peel so largely used in all branches of confectionery ; 

 for the citron is brought to us for this purpose from Corsica, from. Sicily, from Calabria, and other 

 southern provinces of Italy, from Tunis and Tripoli, and even from Morocco, and the candied peel of 

 the fruit is exported hence to North America, to the United Kingdom, and to Hamburg, for distribution 

 throughout Germany. Sugar also is imported for the purpose of the manufacture from Egypt. The 

 wood of the boxes in which the candied peel i9 packed reaches us from Trieste, and the immense earthen 

 ware vessels necessary for the saturation of the fruit in sugar syrup are made in the neighbourhood of 

 Florence. On all sides, I hear, that Corsica produces the citron of the finest quality, these of Sicily 

 and Calabria are regarded as slightly inferior, whilst that which comes from the African Coast is held 

 in still lower repute, and, indeed, appears to be of a different variety, being larger, and having a smooth 

 instead of tho rough granulated surface generally characteristic of the Citron. The African Citron is pro- 



