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Waikato Times, Volume XXX, Issue 2489, 23 June 1888, Page 2 (Supplement)

The Sour Orange.—The sour orange appears to be of equal, if not more, value than the sweet orange. On the coast of the Mediterranean, between Genoa and Cannes, in the district of Grasse, there may be seen in the autumn innumerable clothes lines hung up, on which the skins of oranges are dried, while the pulp of these fruits is lying in out of the way places, where large piles of tens of thousands of oranges will rot for manure. These are sour oranges. Their skins are used by more than 50 perfume factories of Grasso, as well as the blossoms, of which an Italian proverb says:—"The orange blossom is the king of all blossoms." A sour orange tree usually bears three times as many blossoms as it is able to bear fruit, and therefore, two-thirds of them are picked and sold to gardeners, druggists and the perfume factories, which use the blossoms and then the skins for powders, oils, pomade, extracts, molasses, liqueurs, confitures, candles, &c., some of which products are very valuable. One gallon of an oil, for instance (Neroly bigarrade), is sold for £60. The factories of Grasse consume during the period of distillation, in the month of May, 30,000 lbs of orange blossoms a day.