The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1877-03-02
OTTO OF ROSES.
Dtree Thousand Pounds of Leaves TO One
ounce Of Ierfltme.

garee Thousand Pounds Of Leaves TO One |
ounce Of Perfume.
The most delicious of all perfumed es
seces is obtained by the simple distilla-
- OF rose leaves. In our climate roses
are not sufficiently highly scented to
Pr6dnee tae properly odoriferous essence /
of sill; and all that The druggists can pro-
duce from lose leaves is rose water,
which in fact, Is water slightly inpreg-
mated with the essence of oil, which is,to
a small degree, soluble in it. The NEST
favorable countr? Cor the production of
the most highly scented roses Is the mid
die portion of European Turkey, at the
base of the southern slope of the Balkan
mountains, where the roses are grown in
localities where they are protected
against all winds except those from the
south; and the flowers thus attain a lux
urisnce in perfume and growth "a well as
in size, of which those who have not Wis
tied these regions can hardly form an
idea. The town of Kezanlik, sitnatedin
the province Of that name, is the center
of the field of cultivation and distilla
tion Of the rose leaves.
The leaves are gathered all over the
province, which is forty miles long, and
is watered by the river Thungha and the
many mountain streams which discharge
into the same, furnishing the water nee
esssry for the distillation. To give an
idea of the extent which this industry
has attained, we need only say that there
are in this province one hundred and
twenty-eight different villages, of which
the inhabitants are all employed in the
culture of the beautiful flowers They
all live in peace together, Turks and
christianS.and they prosper, having be
come wisy by experience, finding that it
is better TO work than to waste time in
religious er political quarrels. Almost
all the country is occupied by rose plan
tations, and only comparatively small
portion is devoted to raising rye and bar
ley, for the subsistence of the inhabitants
and their cattle. The rose grows best on
those parts of the slopes where the sun
shines most, and which is the least north
ern in exposure. A light soil is best
! and the planting is done during the
sprhg and autumn, in parallel bitches
thra inches deep and five feet apart. In
theS bitches shoots from old trees are
laid, they must, however, not be cut
from the tree, but torn of, so that each
shoe has some portion of the root OF
bari of tie root adherent. They are
then covered with earth mixed with a
littA manure. If the land is horizontal,
anda meuptain stream can be diverted
so % to fsundate it, this is done to
haEen the growth; at the end of six
moths, shoots are seen coming up all
along the furrows, and at the end of one
year these shoots are three or four feet
high forming regular hedges
At the end of the second year roses ap-
pear, but not in sufficient abundance for
them to be gathered. The gathering is
commenced in the tkiS6 year, after which
they produce largelysthe hedges being,
at the end of FIVE years, six feet high.
The bushes produce. aewers until fifteen
years old, when the field is worn out and
must be plowed up. They do not pru1e
the rose bushes at all as we de, but they
cut off every year, IN the late fall or win
ter the dead branches. The great har-
vest commences about May Is, and lasts
until June or To- the gathering is done
in the morning daily before sunrise, and
the distillation is finished before twelve
m, 30 as to have the benefit Of all the
freshness of the flowers, which is at once
driven off by the heat of the day. In hot
seasons the roses open more rapidly, and
the crop may last but for ten days; but
in wet, cool seasons the progress is slower,
and the crop may last for twenty-five
days; but then the daily harvest is
smaller in proportion, 80 that the final
result is about the same. However, cool.
slow weather is preferred as it eases the
daily labor
HE stills used are of the toughest kind
eaaidsnaIl they hold from 200 TO 24O pints
ofwAter, and are carried to the rose
bushes to be filed. To twenty pound
of rose leaves 100 pints of water are
added and the whole is distilled at gen
tie heat until twenty pounds of water
are distilled off, This quantity contain
nearly all the perfume of the leaves
which are thrown away with the remain
ing water; and the still is again filled
with twenty pounds of leaves and one
hundred and sixty pints of water. This
operation is repeated until all the leaves
have been used. The water thus dis
titled off is a strong rose water; and the
result of eight or ten Installations is put
in a still and submitted to second dis
t;llation, when a stronger rose water i:
obtained; so strong indeed, that it is un-
able to contain the essence in solution
and the latter floats on the top of the
water. Experience has shown that, -ol
every ounce of otto of roses, 5000
hounds of rose leaves are required. The
total yearly production of eight districts
into which the one hundred and sixty
villsges of the province of Kezanlik are
divided, is on an average $500 pounds
of otto of roses, of which the district in
which the capital is situated produces
half. Some years ago, however, the
bushes were exceptionally prolific. Thus,
in 1866, 5000 pounds were produced;
but in 1872 only ZOO pounds could be
obtained.
weoug' to add that every rose farmer
has his ] stills for producing otto OF
roses Immediately after picking the flow
ers: and thousands of industrious work
ars are thus occupied, earning in sin
ola short period of twenty days the pro-
duc.a - a years labor in preparing the