CULTIVATION AND PREPAllATION OF CASTOE OIL IN ITALY. 251 
witli tlie spade, and the plants being now sufficiently strong, are left to them¬ 
selves. 
The seeds begin to ripen early in September, when women with baskets 
on their arms make a daily gathering, of the ripe grains, passing by each 
plant every two, three, or more days, according to the intensity of the 
heat. As soon as gathered the seeds are spread out on an open floor, to 
ensure their being dry, and, as they retain the outer covering, are called 
“ Riciyio investito.” To obtain the seeds as they are met with in commerce, 
the following means are adopted:—A layer of about two inches of ‘‘ Wicino 
investito ” is spread over the wooden floor of the barn, and a man with¬ 
out shoes takes an implement made of a flat piece of wood about twenty inches 
square, underneath which is attached a layer of cork about two inches in thick¬ 
ness, fitted with a handle springing at right angles from the wood, so that 
it may be used by the man standing. This implement is pushed backwards an d 
forwards, running gently over the seeds, so as to break up the integument, 
which is subsequently winnowed away. The seed with double covering yields 
about 66 per cent, of the commercial article. 
As soon as the gathering of the seed is over, the plants are cut down and 
tied in bundles, which are left out to dry, and used in the winter for fuel. 
The winnowed integument is also used for burning in stoves, or for mixing 
with stable manure for vine dressing. Finally, when the land is ploughed up 
in November, the roots are collected, dried, and used for burning. A certain 
oleaginous principle appears to pervade the whole plant, rendering it useful 
as a heat-giving and brilliant combustible. 
The height of the Kicinus varies from five to ten feet according to the soil, 
so that tlie husbandmen have to take into consideration its probable growth, 
in order to allow a sufficient space for the development of the branches. It 
is calculated that the Veronese territory alone yields an annual produce of 
over five million kilogrammes of seed, being less than the quantity required 
by the manufacturers, who are thus obliged to use a portion of foreign seed. 
The preparation of the oil is conducted with great care, so that even the 
last integument is removed before the seed is subjected to pressure. For this 
purpose the grains are passed through a machine consisting of two large re¬ 
volving wooden rollers, beneath which is placed a powerful winnowing ma¬ 
chine for the separation of the seed from the covering, now become broken by the 
action of the cylinders. As a further guarantee, a number of little girls are 
employed as sorters, and for this purpose are usually seated, when, placing 
the seed before them by small quantities, they reject those from which the 
seed-coat has been imperfectly removed, as well as the damaged and rancid 
grains, throwing the good ones into baskets placed beneath. 
Every manufactory of any importance has at least five or six hydraulic 
presses, which are placed in a room heated in winter to a temperature of 
about 70° Fahr. Strong coarse hempen press-bags, about fourteen inches 
wide, are always kept ready, and in each is placed about three kilogrammes 
of cleaned seed. The bag,being longer than wide, folds over when in the press, 
and between it and the superposed one is placed a sheet of iron that has been 
heated to about 90° Fahr. The presses usually contain from twenty to thirty 
bags, which have a thickness of rather less than two inches each. All the 
oil which fiows from this pressure is of the first quality. The marc is now 
ground in a mill, and again placed in the bags ; the sheet iron, as usual, is 
placed between each layer, and the whole gently heated up to about 100° 
Fahr., when it is again subjected to pressure, the result of which is a further 
yield of straw-coloured oil, much used in the manufacture of printers’ ink, etc. 
etc. The blanched seeds sometimes yield a total of 40 per cent, of oil. The 
first quality is kept in a warm place (in summer just beneath the roof) for 
