Idaho semi-weekly world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1875-1908, 1888-05-15
THE pERFUMER'S ART.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF A GREAT
FRENCH INDUSTRY.

The Flower Growers and Perfume DistiiI.
ers of Southern Franoe-How Floral
Beauty Is sacrinced--Pomades and Per.
fumed OiIs-Distillation.
The flower growers and perfume distillers
of southern France have no fear of any com
petition. They think that because they in
herited this industry from their ancestors
and because no other country has ever taken
iSup successfully no other country or people
ever can or will But there is nothing mys-
| FERROUS about the business and nothing i'm
| possible to any man or community who will
choose a suitable soil, location and exposure
in, well, say California and go about the
business intelligently and with energy.
Only the simple, most natural varieties of
flowers are used. The roses that are grown by
tons for this purpose are the plain, pink June
rose that every country schoolboy In America
has picked from the bushes in the garden or
door yard and presented blusbingly to his
schoolmaa am. The single white ionquii the
wild violet, the single tuberose are the only
ones known to the perfumers. For orange
blossoms n small, bitter, non-edible variety
Is used, which makes up for its poor fruit by
producing wealth of blooms that are large,
white and heavy with perfume There is
nothing in tho growing of flowers that any
peasant farmer of ordinary intelligence can
not readily master. II is in tho manufacture
OF tho perfumes from the gathered blossoms
bhat the greatest skill and experience are re-
CURED 1t requires capital, too but the profits
OF the business are liberal, and those who
have been long enough engaged in it have no
want of money.
PoMADES AND OILS
The perfumes of commerce are in ono of
four generic forms, viz, pomades and per
TUNED oils, which are made by the process of
absorption, or essences and essential oils,
which are made by distilaton Every large
establishment is provided with apparatus for
all these processes The first two classes
pomades and ols--are used simply as vehicles
to absorb the perfume and retain it for trans
portation. Pomadesare made from roses, Jon.
quils, tuberoses, jasmines and some other
alien species of flowers. Before the season
begins each manufacturer provides himself
with large number OF wooden frames set
with plate glass. These frames are about
two feet square and their wooden sides are
perhaps five inches wide, so that when piied
up edge to edge they form a series of close
chambers five inches deep and two feet
square. Over the plate glass, on both sides,
Is spread thin coating of refined grease-a
mixture of purified lard and tallow--whch.
when the boxes are piled one above another
forms the floor and ceiling of each separate
chamber thus created. All is now ready for
the flowers.
As these arrive each morning they are
assorted and the petals carefully picked from
the stamens and pistis, which are thrown
away as worthless, Over the bottom of encb
frame or chamber above described is spread
Low nf lt1Iu l,..
upon another, SO that in each chamber the
layer of white grease, which absorbs the per
fume until the petals become limp and with
cred. They are then removed and replaced
with fresh ones, and this is repeated each
morning until the pomade attains the re-
quired degree of perfumed strength. 1t is
then carefully removed, packed in earthen
jars, sealed, labeled and made ready for ex-
port.
OTHER METHODS.
Olive oils are used in similar way, except
that instead of being poured on the bottom
of tho frame they are used to saturate pieces
of coarse cotton cloth, which are then spread
upon wire netting in tight frames three or
four feet square, Thus prepared these frames
are filled with petals as in the preceding pro.
cess, the refined and odorless olive oil absorbs
the aroma of the flowers and becomes like
tho pomade, vehicle for the retention and
transportation of tho perfume This latter
process is especially applied to roses and
acacias. To extract the odor from pomades
or perfumed oils, they have simply to be
saturated with alcohol, which, with its
stronger affinity, absorbs the perfume, leav-
ing the grease or oil 60 be used for ordinary
purposes.
The process of distilation, which yields
essences and essential oils, is altogether differ
emit. In this the flowers arc thrown into large
copper retorts with water, in which they are
boiled, the perfume going over in vapor into
condensing coils, as the ordinary distillaton
of high wines from grain But the heat often
changes the character of perfume and it
is only the more robust and vigorous odors
that will stand the test of fire without deteri-
Grafton. The Flower waters" of the Der
tuners shops are made by placing alcohol in
the condensing tank, which condenses and
absorbs the odorous vapor until it becomes
fragrant and sweet Most of the popular
handkerchief extracts are made by skillfully
combining the odors of several different
howers which form harmony of perfumes,
and often by becoming the pet fragrance of
society for u season make the fortune of the
lucky inventor. Thus Jockey Club and
"Patchouly" in their day had an extraord-
nary vogue and filled the pockets Of their
Inventors Philadelphia Times
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