The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1888-07-07
The FLOWER FARMER.
The Perfume of MY Lady,s- -s-----'s
esni-e--.s<s -wnence It Comes.


Tuileries. We are accustomed to large and
beautiful exhibitions Of this kind at home,
and | supposed that in respect to dahllas,
panses and other garden flowers, our florists
were unriyaled. But some Of the conceit was
taken out of me by what / saw in Paris.
One exhibitor displayed 2l0 distinct varieties
OF dahlias, another 40, and so on through
every conceivable variety Of tint, size and
beauty, until the eye was fairly wearied with
the brilliant and delicate colors.
The roses also were magnificent. although
the flush of the season was past and the chir
winds of autumn had begun to make the
flowers out Of doors look cold and discour-
aged. There was also a fascinating side
show OF perfumes from the great French
houses so well know in America, for il is
from sunny France that the Maiden of the
New World and her sighingd ude derive the
wherewithal to perfume their dainty hand
kerchiefs and note paper. My own modest
experience has not taught me that cut flow
ers are especially cheap in the shops and
markets of Paris, so / asked the veteran
where these od0rous blossoms are raised IN
sufficient quantities and cheap enough to
form the basis Of perfume manufacture.
Ah, yes, he replied, "a very natural
question, That is all done In Southern
France, where sunshine Is perennial. hot
houses almost unknown, and where roses
and msm0sas bloom out of doors the. wear
round. Perfumes are manufactured from
flowers on commercial scale at several
places south Of the latitude of Lyons, but the
great centre Of the industry is at Grasse, a
pretty little mountain city perched on a sun
ny slope at the head Of valley twelve miles
long, which opens upon the Mediterranean
coast at Cannes. There Is branch railroad
from Cannes up the valley to Grasse, and the
whole country thereabout. although rugged
and sterile to look at from a distance, has
grown fat and rich out OF flower farming and
perfume manufacture. which have been car
ried on there for more than century,"
But, L re1oined, I" you say that the cOun-
try about Grasse is high and unbroken. Is
It not true that flowers grow best in the val
leys and lowlandS along the coast?
"Yes, flowers for bouquets and decorations.
but not for perfumery. Mind you, Beverly,
1t Is not the big, gorgeous, flamboyant bios
SONS that smell the sweetest and yield the
mostJockey Club and 'Frangipanni' For
this special purpose each kind of flower has
its special peculiar habitat, but as a rule the
best blossoms are small or medium size, sim
pie IN form and grown upon the ground shell
tered by adjacent hills from cold winds; but
nevertheless from one to two thousand feet
above the level of the sea. But simple in
the double, artifcially developed violet or
tuberose Of the fancy gardeners. The whole
subject Is dainty and fascinating in the ex-
treme, and | was well paid for the trip
through the country last year on purpose to
see it."
''Tell us about 1t then. The proper study
of mankind Is the incense that his best Girl
puts on her handkerchief
well, then, understand, TO begin with.
that the flower growers and perfume distil-
lers OIL Southern France have no fear of any
competition. They think because they in
herited this industry from their ancestors
and because no other country has ever taken
it up successfully, no other country or peo-
pie ever can or will. But there is nothing
mysterious about the business. and nothing
impossible to any man or community who
will choose suitable soil, location and ex-
posure in, say California, and go about the
business intelligently and with energy.
"As arranged in France, the businesses of
flower farming and perfume manufacture
are essentially distinct. A few Companies
and firms of Grasse have small flower farms,
but the bulk Of their blossoms are bought,
like hay from the peasant farmers who come
to market with loads Of roses, violets, Jon
quils and other flowers, which they raise
and sell like lettuce or cabbage. The flow
ers are gathered in the evening or early NOR
ming, while the dew is on them, and the
scene in the pretty little city, as the long
trains OF bl0ss0m-laden carts come in soon
after sunrise, is charming.
"The flower harvesting begins in Febru-
ary with violets, which, with the iOnquil
and mignonette, continue until the end of
April. May and June bring the roses and
orange blossoms with thyme and rosemary
Jasmines and tuberOses keep the distillers
and farmers busy during July and August,
lavender and spikenard in September and
the acacia in November and December.
From November to February the manfactur-
ers roundup the business Of the year. and IL
is then that the heaviest shipments Of po-
mades and perfumery oils are made to Great
Britain and the United States, which, after
Paris, are the great patrons of the perfume
makers Of Southern France.
"l have already said that only the simple.
most natural varieties OF flowers are used
the roses that are grown by tons for this pur-
pose, are the plain, pink June rose that every
country schOol-boy in America has picked
from the bushes in the garden or door-yard
and presented blushlngly to his school
ma'am. The single white jonquil, the wild
violet. the single tuberose are the only ones
known to the perfumers. For orange bios
SONS, small bitter non-edible variety Il
used which makes up for its poor fruit Inv
producing wealth of blossoms that are
large, white and heavy with perfume. There
Is nothing in the growing of flowers that any
peasant farmer of ordinary intelligence can
not readily master. IL Is In the manufacture
of the perfume from the gathered blossoms
that the greatest skill and experience are
required. 1t requires capital too. but the
profits of the business are liberal. and those
who have been long enough engaged In II
have no want OF money.
"The perfumes Of commerce are in one Of
four generic forms, viz: pomades and per-
fumed oils, which are made by the process
of absorption, or essences and essential oils.
which are made by distllation. Every large
establishment Is provided with apparatus for
all these processes. The first two classes
pomades and oils-are used simply as yehi-
cles to absorb the perfume and retain il for
transportation. Pomades are made from ro-
ses, Jonquils, 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 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 a thin coating OF refined grease
"a mixture of purified 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 as