The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1893-01-25


pounds, which are extracted from it's |
pulp, the peel furnishes several medicinal |
syrups, and it is a main ingredient in |
curacao, the lqneur which has SO many |
patti ons. The peel is delivered at the |
port of Asuncion at about % shillings per
100 Lounds, and a trade that may be
described as active has commenced. Ii.
instead of sending the bitter orange peel
for sale it should be desired to utilize it
where it is collected, there would be need
OF only very simple apparatus to pro-
duce the compound known to druggists
as the Essence of Portugal" which uni
formly commands a high price.
To Judge by the extent of the forests OF
the citrus tribe that cover the country
in all directions, it might also be assumed
that orange-water would be a leading
article of manufacture, but now, just as
twenty years ago, the white corollas OF
the orange blossoms are suffered to wlther
and die. But he goes on to say that a
French botanist, who went to Paraguay
to study it's fora, was amazed at the
apathy which permitted such waste, and
for awhile discarded his herb alist's case
procured still and became a distiller.
He found that the flowers opened so
unevenly, being clustered together in for
ests, that he could not prosecute that
branch to advantage, as it is necessary
to shake the flowers into cloths spread
underneath the tree, it not being profit
able to gather them by hand, as hand
ling Injuries the delicacy OF the product,
and withered flowers being necessarily
mixed with the fresh ones, he confined his
operations to the leaf. This essence of
the leaf is now used by perfumers in many
of their preparations, where formerly the
extract of flowers was considered neces-
sary. BY thus turning lis attention to
the capabilities Of the leaf, the botanist
was the first to start that industry in
Paraguay, which is now represented by
good many distillers.
The factories are of the most modest
Order-a clear stream ripping through
the orange groves, q rancho covered with
palm leaves, and furnace fed by wood
of delicious fragrance-these are all the
accessories which the work demands, and
the apparatus within is as simple as the
arrangement without. generator, of
which the pressure never exceeds that of
the atmosphere, forces the vapor to the
bottom of large vat, in which the leaves
are piled. In the upper part of the vat is
a cap, connected with long tube, which
receives and conducts tho charged vapor
into refrigerator, whence the condensed
essence issues into glass vessel, which
acts as a recipient. Nothing could be
more primitive or less costly, and yet
nothing could be more practical.
The expense and product are as fol-
lows: About 25 pounds of the leaves of
the bitter orange can be bought of the
growers and delivered at the factory for
about TX to 10 cents. From 800 pounds
to $50 pounds produce about one pound
of essence, which is sold at AsunciOn,
according to the state of the market, for
$1.8O to $2.73 per pound.
To establish q small distilleTy requires
scarcely any outlay, and the labor is
equally insignificant. Once charged, for
thirty.si hours the apparatus needs no
attention beyond keeping up the fire,
which would not occupy a workman more
+hou +broo hOurG q 6.,v TInOn an aver