The St. Charles herald. [volume] (Hahnville, La.) 1873-1993, 1883-08-18
Perfumes from. Flowers.


aemist. Take the jessaminc, for in, |
ance. That's always a fayorite, and |
used in the makeup Of many per-
ames. Two different specimens of the
Iower are used, but the perfume is
made principally from the Jdsminun
In France the cultiva-
/ IN of this plant for the perfumery
;rade is an important industry, though i
The plant is somewhat difficult to raise.
Very hot seasons are most favorable for
t. the hotter the weather the richer
the perfume. Old ladies take to laven-
der in any shape, and the lavender
shrub produces a powerful volatile oil
that is used not only in perfumery and
for favoring dishes, but in medicine
also. Lavender produces three distinct
oils known to the trade. The poorest is
commonly called spike oil. Two other
kinds are distilled from species Of the.
shrub which is common in England
and the French mountains. The Eng
lish oil is the best--worth ten times as
much as the French. The villagers
about Bedington and Wellington,
England, and other places at one time
raised the entire supply. The supply
is now growing less, and consequently
the price is going up, and the business
of raising lavender is a paying one.
The English crop, If you can cali it a
crop, is gathered in July and August.
Then the flowers are in full bloom and
do not require any cleaning or trim
ming. Boys and girls pick them, and
flowers and stalks are distilled together,
every fifty pounds giving about ten
ounces Of oil The imported oil mostly
comes from France, though great
deal comes from Algeria and north
Italy. Although the English oil is the
best, the foreign grades probably sell
better in England and this country, ono
reason being the cheapness and the
fancy names the French put on the bot.
ties. Lavender water finds an enor-
nous sale among BARRIERS, many of
whom make their own decoctions out
of anything they can get hold of. Real
lavender water is made from lavender
oil, mixed with rose and orange water.
A cheap kind is called essence d'aspic,
and is distilled from wild plant and
doctored with turpentine and camphor.
ssThyme is an old-fashioned sort Of
plant, but khyqnus UulgGrts, common
in France, Greece, and many pther
countries, gives US valuable per-
fumery oil In France they take from
it two entirely different oils, red and
white, the gathering being done in the
summer months. In the same localities
the rosemary is cultivated, and, being a
popular perfumery, is in great demand
at high price. Patchouli comes from
the oil Of the rogosteneon patchoali, a
plant collected by the natives of the
Malay islands. 1t is extremely pow
erful, little Of it going great ways
when the winds fair. II is always in
fashion and ID used with altar of rose.
''In altar of rose there is probaly
more deception than in any other per-
fume. Certain kinds come from
Turkey, done up in curious bottles,
and / learned some time ago, on good
authority, that these bottles and their
contents were manufactured in d Con-
necticut town, and the profits were
about seventy-fve cents on dollar
Even in the East, where the genuine
altar Of rose is made, It is adulterated
with oil OF rose geranium and the oil
of y grass found In India, and so great is
the cheating that the trade in this grass
alone is an important one. The head
quarters Of the trade are in Turkey.
The genuine thing comes from Turkey
and Bulgaria. Symrna furnishes q
great deal. The natives Of the valley
OF the Gauges also produce a great
deal for home consumption, and some
is Produced In France. Any one who
knows the business can tell the genuine
article at a glance. To be good It should
CONCEAL at iifty-five degrees Fahrenheit,
and in appearance the CRYSTALS should
be rich, clear, and partly transparent.
If the bottom of the bottle contains. a
sediment, YOU may know that some
handler has adulterated it with parafline
wax or spermaccti. The rose from
which this valuable oil is taken Is the
rosa DGmuSce1sa, and rose water Is
made from a decoction of the leaves Of
the same plant The petals of rosa
Calico, grown In Asa Minor and
various parts Of England and Europe,
are greatly valued, and the leaves also
bring high price. The same decep-
ton is found in these, those imported
from Frenoe being often dyed with
some aniline. A drop of ammonia,
however, detects the fraud,
k5sThe funereal tuberose produces a
powerful perfume, but the violet is most
esteemed for its chaste odor. The
Uiola oaordtG is the one we use, and in
france its cultivation gives employ
ment TO hundreds of men, women and
children. The harvest of violets is
from February to April.
''Verbena was at one time favorite
perfume. It comes from the lemon
grass plant, common at Singapore. In
Provence the cultivation Of the rose
geranium is an important business.
From this plant also comes the famous
essence of African geranium, valued as
an adulterant for altar of rose, it being
nearly as expensive, 1000 pounds Of
the raw material producing only two
pounds of the essence.
s'Mignonette is liked as a perfume,
and is variously initiated. Bergamot
also has its admirers The latter is an
oil taken, not from flower, but from
the fruit of the lemon4Llike citrus
berganaia. In Sicily the trees are Gull
tivated in great numbers. The fruit
IS picked When green, about 200 pro-
lucing six ounces of oil. Most of the
" IS shipped from Palermo and Mes.