The banner-enterprise., 1883-04-19
WHERE GOLD IS DROSS.
A REPoRTER INvADEs A PERFUME
MANUFACToRY.
Flowers Worth More than Their Weight in
the Most Precious of Metals-The Value
of Rose, Jasmine and Lavender.

his place of business, to a reporter of
the Syracuse (N. " H.rdlL. He
pulled the cork from big bottle con-
tanning the tincture of ambergris and
rubbed it upon the back of the report
er'S hand. 1.-The basis from which
that tincture is made" he said came
from a sick whale. 1t doesn't smell
very pleasant, but when combined
with other things it makes Il sweet
perfume
You got that stuff from sick
whale?' the reporter asked.
why, yes said the perfumer, his
eyes closing as he smiled. at is a
morbid secretion of the liver of the
whale, and is principally found float
ing upon the seas Of warm climates,
intermixed with remains of the food
of whales. When of god quality it is
of Il bright gray colCr, Streaked with
black and yellow, so soft that it may
be tlattened with the finger Persons
engaged in whale fishing look for
ambergriS in the inte tines of the
spermaceti whale, and are most sue
cessful in those that appear torpid,
sick and lean whence il would seem
that it is product of disease, 1t is
found in Jumps weighing from Cna
pound to twenty or thirty pounds, and
is worth So an ounce, or twice as
much as gold.
DO you use it in the manufactu
of perfumes?
"Yes I'll tell You how. In the first
place, it costs 81 800 to manufacture
one ounce of perfume. That is to say,
man who wishes to go into the busi-
ness will have to lay out abort that
sum to start. There are six flowers
which are used in the w0rk-the bases
of all perfumes violet, caSsia, rose,
tuberose, jasmine and orange flowers,
These flowers are grown in France,
except the yioletS, which are raised in
Northern Italy. They are plu.ke and
thrown into long pans filled with
suet, which is kept Just hot enough to
keep it melted. The flowers are left
in that way for twenty-four hours,
when the suet is drawn off and treated
to another batch Of flowers. This pro
cess is continued for twenty or thirty
days, until the strength required has
been attained. 1t is then put into
cans, and in that shape is sent to this
country. They are called pomades.
take these pomades and cut them with
cologne spirits. then freeze the sub
stance and run it through a filter. !
The suet is thus kept apart and |
l have the pure flower perfume. |
1t is very sweet and delicate,
but when exposed to the air it soon
loses its strength. Therefore we com
bine it with what are called the fixing !
ingredients, which hold the olors and |
the essential oils. Take one of my
perfumes for instance. TO make it |
have two large vessels Into one | |
put the Tower washingS of tuberose,
rose and viol't 70 these add the |
tincture of tonca, vanilla, amhergriS, !
musk Ciyet and tolu, This mixture
is thoroughly shaken. In the other
vessel pat the essential oilS-orris,
altar of ros $, rose geranium. neroli,
langlang and patchouly. These oils
are cut with cologne spirits. The con-
tents OF b tn vessels are then put
together and thoroughly mixed The
substance il afterward filtered, and
then allowed to stand for month to
get age. 1t is then ready for the mar
ket. The perfumel's artistic work is
in studying the ahinitieS and blending
the scents, as painter does his col
orS."
An acre of jasmine plants, $4,000 in
number, will produce 5000 pounds of
flowers, valued at Sl.250; an acre of
rose trees, 10000 in number, will yield
1000 pounds of flowers, worth 1915;
800 orange trees, growing on an acre,
will yield, at ten years of age, 1000
pounds of flowers, valued at $3.50: an
acre of violets, producing 900 pounds
of flowers, is worth $500; an acre of
cassia trees, about 800, will. at three
years of aga, yield 900 pounds of flow
ers, worth $3.50; IN acre of geranium
plants will yield something over 1000
ounces of distilled altar, worth $4,000;
and an acre of lavender, giving over
$500 pounds of flowers for distillation,
will yield a value of $l,j0a
The perfumer manufactures about
fifty different kinds of perfumes, in
which he uses eight different flower
fifteen tinctures and about
thirty different essential oils. The lat
Ter are very expensive, and the bases
Tom which many of the tinctures are
made cost much more than gold.
The manufacture of perfumes is
low chiefly carTl. ! on in Paris and
london, and in risIous towns along {
he Mediterranean, especially in the
,outh of France. In England some ,
If the essential oils are prepared from {
lerbs on large scale. In the North :
I'm United States many of the essences
md essential oils are also largely pre-.
Jared, the woods furnishing the
sa'safras and other !
weet-scented plants, and gardens the
rose, etc. t
Perfumes are not obtained from $
,lants alone. The delicate scent of
lowers has been traced to certain oils
r ethers, which can be elaborated !
rom substances associated only with 9
he most disgusting odors. The fetid !,
usel oil, by different methods of treat a
nent, produces oils not to be distin- Q
.uished from those of various fruits; the :
loisome oils of gas tar are made to q
.ield the nitro benzole, known as the .
il of bitter almonds; and from the /
rainage of cowhouses is extracted an :
ssential ingredient in the famous eau :
e mile 1eur.
"Why is it that America cannot
lake as good perfumes as the old :
ountry?" the reporter asked.
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