The morning call., 1894-05-17
OPENING FOR clTRUs-GRowERs.

It seems to be worth while TO inquire
whether there are net untested possibili-
ties in our citrus fruit industry. On re-
ferring to the trade tables we fiDd that the
United States imports an average OF about
81, 300, 900 worth of essential oils each year.
With the exception OF oils distilled from
flowers, which come chiefly from Turkey
and Southern France, these essential oils
are drawn from Sicily and Calabria, and
are derived from the lemon, orange. berga-
mot. mandarin or bitter orange. The State
Department has lately instituted inquiry
into the subject and the results are in
structive.
The manufacturers aud shippers of es-
sential oil at Messina in Sicily generally
concur in stating that the United States
takes larger quantities of pure essential
oils than any other coun res, though ship
ments are made to Paris also Still con-
siderable quantities of adulterated essences
are shipped to this country to be sold
at low prices in competition with the gem
uine oils The great bulk of essences
which are put up by the wholesale grocers
in small phias are aduIterated--ch;efl
with oil of turpentine. Some of the Sicil-
ian houses report that the American de-
lul IuIc cSScHtidl ullo Is utCfluluSt
while the demand for adulterated oils is
increasing, the cheapress of the latter
commencing them to American consumers.
Cases are reported in which the spurious
article has been preferred to the genuine.
morbid taste for 1t having been engen-
dered by use.
The prices realized in Sicily for essential
oils which are genuine, or which are sold
as genuine, vary with demand and supply.
In the returns before US, whose quotations
are in English money. we observe oil of
beTgamOt quoted at z shillings and pence
per pound, 7shillings and pence. shill-
ings. shillings and pence, 9 Shillings;
sweet orange, 4 shillings and 4 pence. 4
shillirgs and S pence, 4 shillings and
pence, shillings aud pence, shilling
and 9 pence; bitter Range, shillings and
2 pence, 6 sbilIings and pence. shillngs
and pence. y shillings, shilliugs and 6
pence; lemon. shilliDgs, 4 shilliDgs AID 3
pence, shilliDgs, shillings aud 10 pence,
Shillings and 6 pence; mandarin, 10 Shill-
ings and pence. 70 shillingS and pence,
IA shillings and pence, 40 shillings, II
shilllngs and 10 pence. The prices evil
IDENTIFY vary with the reputation of the
maker and fluctuate from week TO week,
as orders increase in the market or fall
off. In order to guard their customers
against frauds by adulteration, the English
importers have lately esta blished, at Ms
sina, bureau OF analysis which gives Ger
tificates of purity at the request of manu-
facturers. 1t is expected that this step
will have tendency to impede the sale of
adulterated products.
On this statement of facts, the question
arises why the growers of citrus fruits in
Southern California should lot give some
attention to The manufacture of essential
oils? What the Siciians can do we can
do. The soil of Southern California if
properly treated will grow as fine citrus
fruits of every grade AS the soil of Sicily
as the success of the Washington navels
proves. And by the same methods which
have enabled the Santa Barbara olive
growers TO produce the finest olive oil in
the world, our ciirus-grOwers may make
oils which would soon drive out Of the
market the aduliersted essences which are
exh bited in every groceT's window?
Why should not the experiment be tried?
Nature has done much for this happy
land, but man has done little. We keep on
growing Mission grapes to sell at $40
ton, when in the sa me ueiR Dor hood, on
The same soil, fine wine and table grapes
are grown which are worth $50 and S35 a
ton. We kept on growing oranges which
barely paid the cost of picking until
Riverside taught US how to grow an
orange which" competed with the fruit of
the Azores. We are to this day growing
tons upon tons of lemons of which IL takes
adozen to make glass of lemonade. All
because we would not learn that perfec-
ton could not be attained without effort,
ingenuity, learning and will Now there
is an opportunity Of turning some OF our
citrus orchards TO increased account by
the manufacture of essential oils Who
will be first to develop a new industry In
this line?