Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1872-06-27

and fragrant flowers. Then, as now,
the most beautiful colors quickly fad
ed and the pleasant fragrance soon
vanished, but those who loved these
things learned how by destroying one
to preserve the other, and make 1t the
work of their lives to spoil the beauty
of flowers, in order to get and preserve
their perfumes.
The substances from which perfume
are made do not all come from flowers
a few are obtained from ANIMALS. SO
numerous are the perfumes gwen 10y
plants that to read list of their names
would be tiresome so lew are those
given by animals that their names may
be read at a glance; they ace musk,
civit. and ambergris. Far away,among
the mountain ranges OF Siberia, OF
Thibet and of China there lives the
musk deer, from which musk is obtain
ed. In Malabar the civet cat is found
which furnishes c1vet to the perfumer,
and, floating on the sea, near the coasts
small scally masses, of grey color, some
times streaked with yellow or black,
are found, which are thought to have
come from the whale ; this substance
is called ambergrls.
In odor, these three animal substan-
ces are the strongest OF perfumes.
Even very little OF either OF these
good things would be too much. To
be pleasant, a very little must be used
at one time. single grain in weight,
would scent the air of parlor quite
perceptibly for a century. When left
in the air little particles fly from 1T
and scatter themselves around III great
profusion, and then when the AIR is
breathed they go with it into the lungs
On their way thither, they strike
against the delicate membrane of the
air passages III the nose These little
blows effect no bruises, but they cause
us to experience Il pleasant odor. what
hosts of these little particles must be
all the time flying INTO the air from
the grain of musk and yet, after two
wears, it is said, the musk is still
grain having lost as little OF its sub
stance that the balance OF the chemist
can scarcely detect it. The most ele-
CANT perfumes are obtained from flow
ers. The beauty of a rose, how fleet
ing at withers and dies in an hour. y
Its fragrance how lasting! Caught by
the skillful perfumer,i it may be lmprls-
oned for years, and when afterward re-
lieyed, it will leap into the air and I'm
ger for days to lmpart delightful per
fume to the atmosphere.
Some large parts of the south of
France are almost wholly given to the
cultivation of flowers, and the world is
indebted to their inhabitants for some
of the finest and best perfumes. The
altar Of rose from the blossoms that
CROW in the beautiful garden at Grasse,
is esteemed more highly than that from
any other part of the world. Altar is
another name for what is often called
the oil of the plant. BY the coil of
roses = is meant the liquid substance
containing the fragrance OF the rose.
Since it is not an oil like those which
we are familiar, 1T would seem better to
call it altar, or otto as it is also named.
The delicate blossoms yield tins de-
lightful fragrance in return for most
unkind and violent treatment. They
are first cut or bruised into small
pieces. They are then placed IN a yes
sci of peculiar form, over fire and
heated. The flower thus tortured,
gives up its perfume to be caught IL
another vessel kept cold. Two thou
sand roses give about one drachm of
the fragrant altar
Patchouly, more common but less
pleasant and rich, comes from an herb
growing in India and China. 1t is oh.
tanned by distillation, much IN the
same way as rose. And lavender, in
terresting not only for its sweetness,
but also for its antiquity, being the
ancient spikenard, yields by the same
usage the oil of lavender.
But I must not lengthen this article
already too long, to tell you OF jasmine
and violet, of lilly and lilac, of mign-
onette and myrtle, and meadowsweet,
each obtained from a flower; nor OF
frangipani, millefieurs, jockey club and
others like them, made by putting
together two or more simple scents like
those first named. But tell now, have
|, among these | have named, guessed
what is your favorite perfume