The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1886-11-23
Flower ,,nIaure and Perfume Making.

3 Flower Culture and Perfume Making
The kinds of flowers used AMI their sea-
sons of harvest i'm the south of France ar,
/ the violet. jouquu and mjeuopetJe. gath
cred when they blossom ina February
. March and April; roses and orange bios
SONS with thyme and rosemary. in Mal
/ and June ja~eujne> and tubero>e~ in july
/ and August, lavender and ~pikeuard in
( September, and the accasja ia October and
! November. Mr.. Mason cites farm o;
twenJy-three acres, located about 2,oOJ
+ feet above the Level of zine Me ii,erranean
and twenty miles grou the coast The
soil was thin and poor and the olive trees
upon the farm produced but scanty re-
turns. The slope OF the surface was 50
steep that the waters OF "a spring flowing
from the rocks above the tract could not
be used FOR irrigation, and the land was
regarded worthless. In 1SSI the olive
trees We're removed the land tcrraCed %
little irrieating trench running along each
terrace. Seventeen and one-half acres
were planted in the autumn with 10, 600
tufts OF violcts and 10000 roots OF the
white iasemine, and in the following
spring the remainder of the ground was
planted with roses gerauiums, tubcroses
and jonquils, and a labratory erected for
the manufacture of perfumes. In 1895
this farm which had previously yielded
rental of SID year. produced. according
to the statement of the proprietress-it
was a woman who did it all, 1t will be OBJ
served perfumes valued at Sl3 los, and
giving net, legitimate profit of S7,7G7 SIS.
Consul Mason says: In the foregoing
balance sheet, interest OF the entire in
vestmeut is included in the expense ac-
count, 50 that the profits as stated purport
to be clear and legitimate" The Consul
further says;
From observations at Seillaus and in
the neighborhood of Grasse, where perfume
flower growing is the leading branch of ag-
riculturc, the essential conditions appear
to be
l. An altitude OF from 800 to 400 feet
Flowers grown ON such elevated locations
are said to he far more rich in perfume
than similar varieties which bloom in val
leys and lowlands.
,. \ soil rich in calcerous elements (con-
tanning carbonate of lime).
,. \ situation sheltered from cold north
crn winds and not subject to the white
frosts which, in Spring and Autumn, al
feet the damp lowlands
f. Irrigation where there is not sulfi-
cent humidity to secure natural and pro-
life growth.
One essential feature in perfume culture
is that all fancy and "iuproved' varieties
of flowers are discarded, and the natural,
simple, old-fashioned kinds arc exclusively
grown. The roses on the slopes Of Seillans
are the common pink ones that grow un-
der farmhouse windows throughout the
United States. The single wild violet is
preferred to all the larger artifciaIly de
veloped varietes.s Only the white jasemne
is used the yellow being discarded These
are set in rows, about ten inches apart,
and are closely pruned. Roses are cut low
and the ground between the plants heavily
After the roses have been gath
cred the stem Is cut to within a few inches
of the ground, so as to conserve for next
season the entire vigor Of the plant.
Perfumes are produced by ordinary dis
tillation. The flowers are boiled with water
i'm large alembics. The vapor carries oil
the perfume, and is condensed in adjOin-
ing copper tanks, like ordinary spirits and
when ''hower-waters" are to be produced
alcohol is used in the distiling tank to re-
ceiyc the perfumes BY sl,illful combina-
tons of the perfumes of different flowers, |
with the addition Of chemicals. !
a large variety of handkerchief extracts, |
such as 'Patchouly, Jockey Club, West |
End, etc, are produced at the original la /
boratory."