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Cardamom

flavor when pure, and care should be taken not to use too much. Nitric acid converts the pure oil into a crystal- line mass, and the pure article may thus be proven. Oil of cassia is generally adulterated with alcohol; this fraud may be detected by placing a lump of perfectly dry chloride of calcium in a test-tube containing the suspected oil, and shaking it well. If the oil is pure, the chloride of calcium will remain unaltered; but if it contains alcohol, the lump will dissolve and form a dense sub-stratum. This test will detect alcohol in any essential oil. (See also "Oil Neroly" and "Oil Cognac.") Lemon Peel. (OIL AND ESSENCE.) The oil of lemon is obtained both by expression and distillation. It is chiefly imported from Portugal, Italy, and the South of France. Pure lemon oil is very fluid, colorless, and of an agreeable odor. Like turpentine, the oil of lemon has the same elements as the oil of juniper. (See "Oil of Juniper.") One hundred lemons yield by expression 1 to 2 ounces of oil, and by distillation 14 to 1½ ounces. Essence of lemon peel is made as follows: Digest 1 lb. of the thin outside yellow peel of fresh lemons in 1 quart alcohol 95 per cent, let it stand one week, then press and filter. This is a fine gin flavor. Care should be taken that none of the rind should be detached but that portion in which the cells are placed, containing the essential oil.

Cardamom.

This valuable plant is a native of the mountains of Malabar, where it springs up spontaneously in the forests after the removal of the undergrowth. The odor of cardamom is fragrant, the taste warm and highly aromatic