The San Saba news. [volume] (San Saba, Tex.) 1873-1966, 1888-10-26
FLORAL HARVESTS.
SOURCES FROM WHICH FINE
PERFUMES ARE MADE
European Flower Farmcrs-Meth.
eds of Extracting Sweet Savors
from ROses-The Process OF
Essence Distillation.

| Gus OF Extracting sweet SaNOrr
from ROses-The Process OF
| Essence DistiIIation.
As arranged in France the business Of
flower farming and perfume manufacturs
are essentially distinct. A few compa-
| MES and firms have small flower farms.
but the bulk of their blossoms are
bought, like hay, from the peasant farm
ers who come TO market with loads Of
roses, violets, jonquils and other flowers,
which they raise and sell like lettuce or
cabbage. The flowers are gathered in
the evening or early morning, while the
dew is on them, and the scene in the
pretty little city, as the long trains
OF b,Ossom-laden carts come in soon
after sunrise, is charming.
The flower harvesting begins in Feb
ruary with violets, which, with the jon
| gull and mignonette, continue until the
end Of April May and June bring the
roses and orange blossoms with thyme
and rosemary. Jasmine and tuberoses
keep the distillers and farmers busy dur
ing July and August, lavender and
spikenard in September, and the acacia
IN November and December. From No
yember TO February the manufacturers
round up the business Of the year, and
1t Is then that the heaviest shipments Of
pomades and perfumery oils are made to
Great Britain and the United States,
which, after Paris are the greatest pat
rons Of the perfume makers of Southern
france.
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 dooryard
and presented blushingly to his school
ma'am. The single white jonquil, the
wild violet, tie tuberose are the only
ones known TO the perfumers. For
orange blossoms, a small bitter nom
edible variety Is used which makes up
for its poor fruit by producing a wealth
of blossoms that are large, white, and
heavy with perfume.
The perfumes Of commerce are in one
of four generic forms, namely, pomades
and perfumed oils, which are made by
the process Of absorption, or essences and /
essential oils, which are made by distil-
latiOn. Every large establishment is
provided with apparatus for all these
processes. The first two classes
pOmades and oils-are used simply as
vehicles to absorb the perfume and re-
tain it for transportation. Pomades are
made from roses, jOnquils, tuberoses,
jasmincs, and some other alien species /
of flowers. Before the season begins |
each manufacturer provides himself with |
a large number Of wooden frames set /
with plate glass. These frames are about /
two feet square, and their wooden sides 1
are, perhaps, five inches wide, so that
when piled 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 a thin coat
ing of refined grease-a mixture of pur-
fled lard and tallow-which, when the
boxes are piled one above the other, form
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 pistils, which are
thrown away as worthless. Over the
bottom of each frame or chamber above
described Is spread layer of petals, and
the frames piled one upon another, so
that in each chamber the layer OF flowers
has above and beneath it the layer of
white grease, which absorbs the perfume
until the petals become limp and with
cred. They are then removed, and re-
placed with fresh ones, and this is re- !
peated each morning until the pomade
affoipe tho rn,r,ira1 dao,raa 81 ,-erf,,r,,oI
strength. It IS then carefully removed, ;
packed in earthen jars, sealed, labeled
and made ready for export. Olive oils
are used in a similar way, except that
instead of being poured on the bottom
of the 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 filed with
petals as in the preceding process; the
refined and oderless olive oil absorbs the
aroma Of the flowers and becomes, like
pomade, a vehicle for the retention and
Of the perfume. This
latter process is especially applied to
roses and acacias. To extract the odor
from pomades or pcrfumed oils they
have simply to be saturated with
alcohol, which, with its stronger af-
iinity, absorbs the perfume, leaving the
grease or oil to be used for ordinary pur-
poses. 1t naturally requires a large
q autity Of flowers to make compare
lively small amount of perfume The !
process of filling the pOmade frames with
fresh flowers goes on daily for several
months before it attains the desired
strength. 1t is by this method only that
he delicate aroma Of the choicest flow
srs can be extracted and preserved with
'ut change for transport to distant !
The process of distillation, which q
fields essences and essential oils is al I :
ogether different. In this flowers are
brown into large copper retorts with ,
water, in which they are boiled 1.-THE ;
lerfume going over in vapor into con
iensing coils As the ordinary distillation
If high wines from grain But the heat .
'iten changes the character of a perfume, :
md 1t Is only the most robust and vigor- /
Jus odors that will stand the test of fire :
without deterioration. The Flower
of the perfumer's shops are made
y placing alcohol in the condensiuo
ank, which condenses and absorbs the :
'dorous vapor until it becomes fragrant
nd sweet. Most of the popular hand j
,erchief extracts are made by skilIfulIy L
the odors OF several different
.Owers, which form a harmony of per e
umes, and often by becoming the net f
fragrance OF society for season make
he fortune Of the lucky inventor. Ii
iHuGti Commercial. n
ImmOrts' sslly Lunu.