, 1888-09-20
ALTAR OF ROSES.
An Account of Its Manufactured Preciou,
Essential OIL.

Essential OIL.
Until the sixteenth century we have no
authentic mention of altar. The story of its
origin is told in the history of the Mogul
empire. The sultana Nourmahal, the light
of tho harem, during a feast which she gave
to the grand mogul Jehanguir, caused a canal
to be filled with rose water, where they
bathed in its perfumed water and foated
about over its surface: After some days a
curious substance was observed on the sur
face. Upon examination it proved to be the
essence of the roses. which the heat of the
sun had caused to gather on the top of the
rose water, and the delicious fragrance in
duced them to turn this accidental discovery
to account. Since that day roses have been
cultivated in Persia, in India and in Turkey
for the manufacture of the essence.
While in different parts of the east great
quantities of roses are grown for their essen.
tial oil, the province of Roumelia is perhaps
the most important center for the industry.
On the lofty plain, bounded on the north by
the Balkan mountains, are planted the great
rose gardens, where the finest altar in the
world is made. Kasanlik, the center of the
district, means in the Turkish tongue place
of boilers. The roses are planted by the
farmers of this district on sloping ground
facing the sun, and where the soil is sandy.
Laying down a rose garden may be lone in
the spring or fall, the ground being cleared
of weeds. Young rose shoots are torn from
the old plants, so as to carry with them a
part of the roots. These are laid almost hor-
izontally in trenches five feet apart. In six
months or so the shoots appear, and are
earthed up, and in almost a year the plants
stand like young hedges, about a foot high.
1t is not till me end of the third year that
the blossoming is of any Importance. AT the
end of the fifth the plants are in full bearing,
and they continue blooming for fifteen years
longer. 1t does not do to enrich the soil too
heavily, as it Injuries the quality of the es-
sential oil quite as much as it improves the
quantity. Hoar frost, fog and dampness are
very injurious; in 1870 all the roses in this
district were killed.
In May, when the gardens are a sheet of
bloom, the harvest begins. The roses are of
several kinds, but all single or nearly So
pale pink or white, and very much like our
wild roses. Early in the morning the pickers
begin, while the dew is on the flowers. The
petals are taken from the stalks, and at once
put into great copper alembics, capable of
holding about 240 pounds of water. Into
each of these alembics, with their downward
pointing %nozzles, are put $50 pounds of water
and twenty-five pounds of rose leaves. This
is then distilled till the turbid rose water
amounts to twenty-five pounds. The boilers
are emptied, ~cleansed, and the process is re-
peated. The turbid fluid is again distilled,
and then allowed to remain at rest. On the
surface of this double distilled rose water
the precious essential oil rises like a greenish
or yellowish scum. This is SKINNED off by
means of a conical spoon, with u small hole
in the bottom to allow the water to run
away. The appliances are all very rude, and
there must necessarily be much waste in n
material so precious. According to estimates
made at kasanlik it takes about 1900
pounds of roses to make one pound of oil.
And from 1900 to 5000 pounds of roses are
the largest crops raised p o an English)
acre of land. The price for the pure altar is
about 81 per ounce.-Sophie B.. Herrick in
The Cosmopolitan.