The weekly Floridian. [volume] (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1867-19??, 1883-08-28

One OF the most distinguishing features of
Florida is the variety OF its vegetation: While
it is the home of the orange and lemon, whose
golden fruit have made it 50 attractive, and the
land OF the cypress and pine, the magnolia and
myrtle, flowers and cedar, its climate is also
adapted to the olive and almond, and many
other oil-yielding plants.
When we remember the wealth of the olive,
which in France is nearly $l2, 100000 the sue
cess il has attained in different parts OF the world
and that over 300 600 gallons OF olive oil are I'M
ported annually into the United States the i'm :
portance OF cultivating it here cannot be over
rated. And as it requires no special culture, is
easily propagaed by cuttings, bears earlier in
America than in Europe, and the oil Obtained is
more valuable, we have everything to encourage
US. Besides, the olive nourishes for an almost
indefinite period. The groves of Southern Eu-
rope, which have stood the winds of a hundred
winters, are still fruitful Once planted it srows
on with increasing crops, averaging from p to
80 gallons OF fruit per tree. And with sixty
trees 10 the acre, which are many rs the land
can support, 800 acres in full bearing would
more than pay the expenses of the State govern
ment of Florida. The oil is obtained by a very
simple process. The fruit which contains 20
per cent. OF it, being gathered when nearly ripe,
is put IN coarse sacks and subjected to pressure
while the oil is received in tubs of clear water
from the surface of which it is collected. This
is called virgin oil. The residue of the sacks is
then mixed thoroughly with boiling water, and
again pressed harder than at first, yielding oil Of
inferior quality. The only machinery needed is
a simple press which can be kept in the grove
under shed. The manufacture ri olive oil
could become one Of the leading indus ries Of eur
cnterprisin9 State.
Almond oil is also valuable and readily Oh
tanned from either sweet or bitter almonds. The
almond tree is sometimes cultivated for the sake
of its beautiful foliage. Il bears abundantly
and the fruit, so highly esteemed for various do
mestc purposes, contains from % t. 81 per cent
of Oil, the sweet containing nearly twice as much
as the bitter. But sweet almonds are rarely cm-
ployed for pressing, on account OF their greater
cost, and the less value of their residual cake
To OBJ ain the oil, the almonds having been freed
from the reddish brown powder on their surface,
by rubbing them together in a piece OF coarse
linen, are ground or bruised, as directed by the
Dispensaiory, put in canvass sacks and sub
jected to powerful pressure The oil, at first
turbid may be clarified by rest and filtration.
Its commercial value is about 80 cents pound
and from 10000 to $4,000 pounds are imported
annually into the United States.
Castor oil can also be manufactured here.
The castor oil plant is cultivated like corn, with
only one seed to the hill. The pods, containing
the seeds, are gathered when beginning to ripen
and spread out on clean swept yard surrounded
by q tight board fence AS they ripen the
seeds pop out, and are prevented from being lost
by the fence, then raked up, put in sacks and
sold to the castor-oil factory. The yield is 100
bushels 10 the acre, ana their commercial value
about so cents o bushel. There are many
methods of obtaining the oil. The fresh seeds
are first freed from their coatngs, then put into
sacks and submitted to powerful pressure. The
expressed oil is allowed to stand sometime for
the abumen, mucilage, and other matters to sub
side; or it is filtered to separate them more rap
idly Cold-pressed oil is nearly transparent, and
requires no further publication. By this method
the produce is equal to about one-third of the
seeds employed, and the oil possesses all its nat
ural qualities.
The oil of cotton seed is also an important ar