Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1888-05-30
THE PERFUNIER's ARR.
Brief Description OF a Great French
Industry.

Brfef Description or Great French
Industry.
The flower growers and perfume
distillers OF southern France have no
fear OF any competition. They think
that because they inherited this indus
try from their ancestors and because
no other country has ever taken it up
successfully no other country or people
ever can or will But there is nothing
mysterious about the business, and
nothing impossible to any man or CON-
munity who VIII choose a suitable soil,
location and exposure in. well. say Cali.
fornia, and go about the business intel
hgently and with energy.
Only the simple, most natural varie-
ties 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 blushingly
10 his schoolma'a The single white
ionQuil, the Wild violet, the single
tuberose are the only ones known to
the perfumers. For orange blossoms
q small, bitter, non-edible variety IS
used. which makes up for its poor fruit
are large, white and heavy with per-
fume. There Is nothing in the growing
of flowers that any peasant farmer Of
ordinary intelligence cannot readily
master. 1t is in the manufacture of
the perfumes from the gathered bios
SONS that the greatest skill and expe-
rience are required. 1t requires capi-
tai, too, but the profits of the business
are liberal. and those who have been
long enough engaged IN It have no
want Of money.
The perfumes of commerce are in
one of four generic forms, viz, pomades
and perfumed oils, which are made by
the process OF absorption, or essences
and essential oils, which are made by
distillation- Every large establish
ment Is provided with apparatus for all
these processes. The first two classes
-pomades and oils-are used simply as
vehicles to abserb the perfume and
retain il for transportation. Pomades
are made from roses, ionQuils, tube
roses. jasmines 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 are perhaps five
inches wide, so that when piled up edge
to edge they form 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 mixture OF purified lard
and t2llow-which, when the boxes are
piled one above another, forms the
floor and ceiling Of each separate cham
har rad ia dxyf 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 a
layer of petals and the frames piled one
upon another, SO that In each chamber
the layer of white grease, which alb
serbs the perfume until the petals be-
come limp and wIthered- They are
then removed aud replaced with fresh
ones, and this is repeated each morning
until the pomade attains the required
degree of perfumed strength. IL is
then carefully removed, packed in
earthen jars, sealed, labeled and made
ready for export.
OTHER METHODS.
Olive oils are used in 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 filled with petals as in the
preceding process, the refined and odor-
less olive oil absorbs the aroma of the
41rr NJ alrA a..
a vehicle for the retention and trans
portation OF the 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, alb
serbs the perfume, leaving the grease
or oil TO be used for ordinary purposes.
The process of dIstlllation, which
yields essences and essential oils, is
altogether different. In this the
iowers are thrown into large copper
retorts with water, In which they are
boiled, the perfume going over in vapOr
into condensing coils, as the ordinary
distillation OF high wines from grain.
But the heat often changes the charac-
ter of a perfume and it IS only the more
robust and vigorous odor5 that will
stand the test of fire without deteriora-
tion. The Flower waters" of the
perfumers' shops are made by placing
alcohol in the condensing tank, which
condenseS and abSorb5 the odorous
vapor until 1t becomes fragrant and
sweet Most OF the popular handker-
chief extracts are made by skillfuIly
combining the odors OF several differ
ent flowers, which form a harmony of
perfumes, and often by becoming the
pet fragrance of society for a season
make the fortune of the lucky inventor.
Thus Jockey Club and "Patchouly"
In their day had an extraordinary vogue
and filed the pockets Of their inven-
ton