The Dickinson press., 1888-07-21
THE PERlUlLER'S ART.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF A GREAT
FRENCH INDUSTRY.

The Flower Growers and Perfume Distill-
crs of southern Erance-How Floral
Beauty Is Sacriiiccd-Pomades and Per-
fumc,l Oils-DistilIation.
The Hover growers and perfume distillers
OF southern France have 10 fear of any conf
petition. They think that because they in-
hcrlted this industry from their ancestors
ami because no other country has ever taken
Ii up successfully no other country or people
ever can or will. But there is nothing mvs-
FERROUS about the business, and nothing i'm
possible to any man OF community who will
ch""S. IL suitable SOIL location and exposure
it we'll, say California, and go about tho
business intellisently and with energy.
Only tn" simple, most natural varieties of
flowers are used. The roses that are grown by
tons for this purpose are the plain, pink June
r"S" that every country schooll,oy in America
las picked from the bushes in the garden or
door yar'l and presented blushingly to his
srhoolnaam. The single white ionuui, the
wild violet, the single tuberose are the only
ones known To the pcrfunlcrs For orange
blossoms II SMALL bitter, non edible variety
Is used, which makes up for its poor fruit by
producing il wealth of blooms that are large,
white and heavy with perfume. There is
nothing in tn" growing of flowers that any
peasant farmer of ordinary intelligence can
not readily master. 1t is in the manufacture
OF the perfumes from the gathered blossoms
that the greatest skill and experience are re-
qlilr"d. 1T requires capital, too, but the profits
of ;hc business are hbesal, and those who
have been long enough engaged in it have no
want of money
PoMADES AND OILS
The perfumes of commerce are i'm one of
four generic forms, viz, ronatlcs and ur
tunicd oils which are made by the process of
absorption, or essences and essential oils.
which al" made 10y listilation. Every large
establishment is provided with apparatus for
;lll these processes. The first two classes
l'"mn'l"s and "ils-;tre used simply as vehicles
I" absorb the perfume AMI retain it fortrans-
porlatlon. Tona,l'sarc made from roses iou-
u'il', tnl"rosrS, iasmimns and some other
alien species of flowers. Before tho season
h'gllls each manufactures provides himself
with II large number of wooden frames .rt
with plate glass. These frames are about
two feet square and their wooden sides a,.,
PERHAPS five inches wide, so that when piled
up edge to edge they form u series of close
chambers five inches deep and two feet
square. Over tho plate glass, on both sides,
is spread Il thin coating of refined grcase--;l
nlXtnrr"f purified lard and tallow-which,
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 eacl morning they aro
assorted and the petals carefully picked from
the s,anens and pistils, which are thrown
away as worthless. Over the bottom of each
frame or chamber above described is spread
Il layer of petals and the frames piled one
upon another, SD that in each chamber the
layer of white grease, which alsorbs the per
inmc until tho 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 tho To-
Inlic'i degree of perfumcd strength 1t is
then carefully removed, packed in earthen
jars sealed, labeled and made ready for OK
port.
OTHER METHODS
Olive oils are used in similar way, except
that instead Of being poured on the bottom
''f tic frame they arc used to saturate pieces
OF coaISc cotton cloth, which arc then spread
upon wire netting i'll tight frames three or
four feet square. Thus prepared these frames
are 'ilicd with petals as i'll the preceding pro
cess, the refined and odorless olive oil al,sorbs
tho arolnn of tho flowers and becomes, lk.
the ponadc vehicle for the retention and
transportation Of tho perfume This latter
process is especially applied to roses and
ncacias. To extract the odor from ro1nades
or pcrlumcd oils, they have simply to he
saturated with alcohol which, with its
Stronger affinity, absorbs the perfume, leav-
IS the grease OF oil to be used for ordinary
purposes.
The process Of distillation, which yields
essences and essential oils, is saltogcthcr differ
'nt In this the flowers arc thrown into larr..
"ll"r ret"rts with water, in which they aro
3pi"d, the perfume going over in vapor into
."n'l"nsing coils, Us The ordinary distiIlntion
u high wines from grain. But tho heat often
changes the character of perfume and it
q only the more robust and vigorous odors
,!iat Will stand the test of fire without feteri-
,ration. The "tlower waters" of the per.
tuners shops are made by placing alcohol in
Tia" condensing tank, which com,lclses and
;rI,sorhs the "dorous vapor until it becomes
fragrant and sweet. Most of the popular
handkerchief extracts are made by skillfully
combating the odors of several different
flowers, which form a harmony of perfumes,
ai't often hy becoming the pet fragrance of
society for ii season make the fortune of tho
lucky inventor Thus ''Jockcy Club and
"l'atehpuly' in their day had an extraoreli-
mary vogue and filled the pockets of their
Philadelphia Times