Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1888-12-14
THE PERFUMER'S ART.
Two Processes by Which Odors Are Ex-
tracted from Flowers I Justification.

tracted from Flowers-A Justification.
There are two chief processes by which
odors are extracted and retained. One
Is by dstillation, or what is called ma
ceration--the essential oil or otto in which
the perfume vesides being extracted by
vaporizing from the flowers leaves and
roots, or other portions of the plant con-
tanning it. The other, and by far more
delicate and interesting, is by absorption
or enfleurage. This is resorted to in the
case of all the more delicate flowers,
such as the rose, jasmine, tuberose and
cassia, where the essence is SO fine that
it has by practice been found to be in
jured by heat The principle of odor
absorption from flowers is based simply
ON the established law Of affinity which
hydro-carbons-that is, beef and mutton
fats-have for perfumes When these
have been highly purified they catch,
and in catching concentrate and inten-
sify, the odors communicated to them.
The modus operandi is of the simplest
and is not at all times of the cleanest.
The visitor to the perfume factory would
see multitudes of wooden frames having
rims about three inches in depth in
winch are set several sheets of glass.
These frames are lifted to a bench and
all the glasses are spread over with layers
of pure fat, somewhat less than n quarter
of an inch thick, and over this fat are
carefully shed the leaves of whatever
flowers may be plentiful at the season,
fresh and full of odor. After the flower
leaves are spread out, the glasses are re-
placed in the frame, one on top of the
other, till each frame looks like solid
box of fat. Next the frames are slid
into BOXES made to receive them, some
thing like our strawberry boxes, and
these are then closely shut. In a very
short time the fat will have caught all
the oior, and having caught it will hold
it, too, so that it can be conveyed unin-
jured hundreds of miles.
The next question is to free the inn
prisoned spirit. The fat is cut up into
small square portions and put into al
cohol. The delicate essence at once parts
from it's coarser companion, and uniting
ing itself to the alcohol is fit for the
market
} Another method, but not so commonly
followed is to spread the flowers upor
, cloths saturated with oils, which, wher
1 the absorption is supposed to have ended
) are placed in q press and the impregpate1
} oil squeezed out.
= In the preparation of scents the an
8 clients, as in SO many, many other things
anticipated in principle at least the mos
s recent methods approved of science. TIL,
s absorbing substance with them was bei
oil, obtained from the Moringa, tre
: growing in Egypt, India and Ceylon. l
8 bears a pod containing several peculia
o shaped, three cornered seeds, from which
9 pure and scentless oil is obtained. Cot
e ton was soaked in the oil and placed il
s layers between the flowers and thel
y pressed down in water bath for abou
6 twenty-four hours.
y Evidently, too, the method has no
varied much in different periods, for Cul
l. pepper in his English Physician" pub
). lished in 1868, gives the following receip
If for the process:
/ Having bruized the herbs or flower
IS you would make your Oyl of, put then
n in an earthen pot, and to two or thre
"a handfuls of them pour a pint of Oyl
g cover the pot with a paper and set it i
T. the sun, about a fortnight or less, &C
y cOrding as the sun is in holiness; then, hay
to ing warmed it very wei by the fire, pres
ut out the herbs, ETC., very hard in a press
j. and add as many more herbs to the sam
Oyl, bruize (the herbs, | mean, not til
n, OyD in like manner, set them in the su
lie as before; the oftener you repeat this tn
Of stronger will your Oyl be; at last whe
N you conceive it strong enough boyl bot
ID herbs and Oyl together till the juice |
st consumed, which you may know by i
p leaving bubbling, and the herbs will
e. crisp, then strain it while it is hot, an
lie keep it in a stone vessel for your use. -
lg The number of SO called perfumes
it without end and is largely matter
lie fashion. Still, various standing division
is Of odors have been made, the most elal
n crate of them all being that of Rimme
O. His classification comprises only Il
pleasant odors, and is based on prime
pie that just as there are primary colo
from which all secondary shades are pr
duced, SO there are primary odors wit
he types, all other aroma being more or lie
in closely connected with them. OF the
as types he finds eighteen groups.-Sa
in Francisco Chronicle.