ON  ITALIAN  CASTOR  OIL. 
489 
The  outer  skin  is  removed  by  cracking  the  seeds  with  a  hammer 
on  a  marble  slab,  which  operation  is  performed  by  women,  the 
skins  being  blown  away  by  a  kind  of  fan  ;  they  are  then  placed 
in  the  press  which  is  lined  with  filtering-paper,  pressure  is  ap- 
plied very  gently,  and  extends  over  several  days,  the  oil  is  again 
filtered  as  it  runs  from  the  press,  and  is  set  aside  that  any  little 
fecula  still  remaining  may  deposit.  Exposure  to  the  sun  is  al- 
ways avoided,  from  its  tendency  to  produce  rancidity.  This  oil 
is  of  a  very  pale  color,  nearly  odorless,  and  possesses  hardly  any 
taste.  Unfortunately,  the  wholesale  price  of  this  oil  is  the  same 
as  the  retail  price  of  much  that  is  sold  in  England,  therefore  very 
little  can  find  its  way  into  the  English  market. 
The  variety  of  Italian  castor  oil  prepared  for  exportation *is 
made  at  all  seasons  of  the  year  ;  very  little  care  is  taken  in  de- 
corticating the  seeds,  which  are  triturated  between  stones  into  a 
paste  before  pressing,  and  steam  heat  applied  during  the  process. 
Frequently  they  are  beaten  with  the  skins  into  a  paste,  and  the 
oil  then  filtered  through  paper  or  flannel  after  having  been  mixed 
with  animal  charcoal,  the  filtering  being  conducted  in  a  heated 
room. 
I  have  learnt  from  good  authority  that  large  quantities  of  East 
Indian  seeds  are  imported  into  Italy,  and  furnish  much  of  the  oil 
exported  from  this  country. 
The  oil  last  mentioned  has  a  much  stronger  odor,  and  more 
acrid  taste,  and  is  also  more  colored  than  the  first ;  but  is  less 
disagreeable  (when  from  Italian  seeds)  than  the  Indian  or  Ameri- 
can oils.  With  regard  to  the  real  question,  as  to  the  cause  of 
the  less  nauseous  taste  of  the  "  Italian  Oil,"  I  can  only  ascribe 
it  to  the  fact  of  the  oil  being  prepared  from  fresh  seeds,  well  de- 
corticated, often  not  bruised,  and  without  heat.  The  oil  obtained 
from  seeds  three  or  four  years  old  has  a  much  stronger  odor  and 
taste,  in  fact  the  oil  keeps  sweet  much  longer  when  expressed 
than  in  the  seeds. 
The  variety  exported,  if  prepared  from  fresh  seeds  and  with- 
out much  heat,  enjoys  to  some  extent  the  same  properties,  and  is 
more  active  than  the  finest  variety. 
The  seeds  themselves  are  sometimes  used  as  a  purgative,  two 
seeds  grated  and  taken  in  water  having  the  same  effect  as  an 
ounce  of  oil. 
