Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1895-06-07


beginning TO be crisp and
DIV, says the Chicago Record, deni-
zsns Of the island bestir themselves
and the air fills with the drowsy
erunching Of the oil press.
The work Of gathering the crop be-
gins on the long. sloping mountain
sides early in September, and il is
sometimes late in December before the
last baskets Of fruit are taken from
the lowlsnd orchards. 1t is the only
time in all the year when Sicily is
reslly active. Every one-even down
to the little boys and girls-is pressed
into service. The workers swarm
through the orchards with their deep
wicker-bsskets. a gay. care.free crowd.
The men jar the fruit from the trees
and it is gathered up by the women
and children and is borne away to
some one of the presses which dot the
quiet face of the country side. And
they and their fathers and grand
fathers have been doing the same work
at the same time of year for centuries
past, but in all that time practically
no improvements have been made in
the crude methods of extracting the
oil. The people look askance at any
thing which will disturb their ancient
customs.
The olives are carried to the presses
from the orchards as rapidly as posi-
bic, because the sooner the oil leaves
the fruit the better it is. At one end
OF low shed, with nothing but the
earth for flooring, stands the crushing
mills with number of slow-moving,
scantily clad men grouped about it.
The base IS Il circular platform of solid
masonry about the shape and size of a
large butchers block. The surface in
cines to the centre, from which rises
stout, short. wooden post. Pivoted
to the top OF this there is long,
smooth shalt or pole that extends
outward through the centre of huge
stone wheel or crusher weighing from
1900 to 2000 pounds. The end Of the
pole reaches to the centre of a mule
path around the stone block, and when
the mule is hitched on and begins to
pull the stone wheel turns on the
platform and brushes the olives under
il into pulp. The workmen keep the
mule crawling at snail's pace and
from time to time add more olives or
turn over those already oil the stone.
When the pulp is fine enough it is
packed into short, open-mouthed bas-
kets OF mats OF rushes about twenty
inches broad and carried away to the
press. Any one who has seen a letter
copying press, and can imagine it
about fifty times enlarged and made
of wood, with huge oil stained beam
in front of the upper jaw, will have a
good idea of an olive press. The bas-
kets, to the number of fifteen, are
piled event Y upon the base of the
press and covered on top with board.
Then the big beam is let down and a
wooden screen operated by six or
eight men is sent grinding down unit!
the rich ycllowish- green oil bursts
from the lntertices of the baskets. 1t
oozes downward into trough and
drips off into hogshead filled half
full of water. The oil remains at the
top and impurities go through the
water to the bottom. The pressure is
left on for about five minutes, when 4
few quarts of boiling water is thrown
on the pile to wash off the oil.
The screw is then loosened and the
pulp is returned to the stone mill
where it is crushed again for half al
hour and then returned to the press
This process is repeated three times,
after which tue pulp is taken into {
dark room and left for three days, by
which time it has attained high TEN
perature. 1t is then pressed for
fourth time, after which 1t is sold tc
bakers for fuel. Half the oil is ex
pressed at the first pressing.
After being carefully measured, thu
oil is carried in goatskin bags to tn,
store-room where it is placed in I'm
glazed red jars. At the end of weel
it has thoroughly cooled and partially
clarified by settling and is ready fol
export.
The process of Qualification may be
carried on or it may not. For the
finest grades the oil is filtered through
sand and charcoal until it becomes
perfectly golden in color. The bot
thing is done usually in the great cities
Of the world.
Not all that purports to be olive
oil, however, is really olive oil. Some
clever manufacturers over in France
and Germany have learned to extract
rich yellow oil from peanuts which it
largely exported as genuine olive oil.
Besides this it is reported that olive
oil comes from the cotton-seed presses
of the South.
The olive industry in California has
reach great volume during the las
few years, and it will doubtless fur
nish most of the worlds supply event
ually. California already supplies 6