The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1889-08-03
Precious Perfumes.

The rose is one of the most valuable of
the limited series of flowers available to the
perfumer When dried it is useful in
sachets or scented powders, distilled, it
yields rose water and the well known ottar,
and subjected to enheurage it gives oil,
pOmade and alcholate The variety chiefly
used is the hundred-leave Rosa centifolia,
and is grown for commercial purposes most
extensively in Turkey, India and in the
south of France. says the San Francisco
| Chronicle. The ottar of rose is light
yellow or straw-colored liquid, possessing a
high degree of concentration, the charac-
teristic odor of the flower, and diffusive-
ness and persisteney that render it of great
service to the perfumer
OF the citrine family, consisting of the
two great divisions of lemons and oranges,
the bitter or Seville orange is the most val
liable species to the perfumer Its flowers
yield the ottar known as the oil of neroli,
or neroly, and by enfeurage pomade and
alcoholate of delightful fragrance. The
rind Of the ripe fruit contains a useful oil,
and the small unripe berries and leaves
also furnish one. Another orange of inn
portance is that known as the Bergamia,
from which the oil of fbergamot is produced
The common lemon gives an essence hav-
Ing both perfume and flavor, while from
the citron is taken the truly delightful es-
scenee known as the ottar of cedrat.
BY enfeurage the modest violet yields an
odor which is universally admired for its
delicacy and sweetness The chief violet
beds a.e at Nice, where the plants arebed-
ded in the shade of orange or acacia groves.
Approximations of the scent of the violet
are found in the acacia, the orris, and in
myalwood a native of Australia The
acacia referred to is a small tree or shrub
which grows only in southern ATTITUDES, and
the flowers, which are yellow aud about the
side of a large pea, ara cassie flowers.
These are treated by enfeurage Cassie
must not be confouDded with cassia, which
is the common cinnamon.
The tuber-rose is dubious plant, first
noticed by old writers as the Indian hya-
einth The odor is obtained by eufeurage,
and Is not only favorite in its pure state,
but enters into the formation Of the most
recherche bouquet France, Italy and
Spain contain the chief gardens of the
tuber-rose, although there is no reason why
in this industry, us in so many others,
California should not enter the competing
field.
The ylang- ylang flower of flowers is the
blossom Of a large tree native in the islands
of the India archipelago. Its native Tagal
name is the ihlang-ihlang, the Malays call
it kanonga, and TO botanists it is known as
unona odoratiSsima. The flowers remind
one somewhat Of the locust blossom. Their
color is a greenish yellow, aud they possess
an odor resembling a mixture of jasmine
and lilac, so powerful that it scents the air
for miles The ylang-ylang was first dis.
covered By chemist at Manila in 1867
Ia IS now largely manufactured there and
at Singapore.
Lavender, rosemary and patchouly are
all herbs. The TWO former are quite well
known in this country, the last named isan
Indian plant resembling our garden sage.
To the natives il is known as putchapat,
both leaves and stem yielding an ottar Of
great strength and very peculiar odor.
OF the spice series cloves and cinnamon
are the only ones that are much used in
perfamery, aud those are chiefly employed
in soaps. The Glove tree is largely cult
waited in the West Indies and the Malaeca
islands, while the cinnamon is not the bark
OF commerce, but GENES from smaller
tree, and has a milder oder and flavor, with
a faint touch Of muskiness. Cassia comes
from China, the true cinnamon from Cey-
Ion
Two odoreus grasses, natives of India,
furnish ottars of extensive usefulness.
One L lemon grass, having a. strong re-
semblanee in odor to the lemon verbena,
and from it nearly all our EXTRACTS Of YER
benan and ..yerbena water are made.
The other ottar Is eitronella, perfume
which most persons have made acquaint-
ance with in the so-called 'honey soap.
The wood of the sandal tree, a native of
the, West Indies, gives a curious odor,
greatly admired IN Oriental countries and
much valued by us II is both used in
substance aud distilled for its ottar. Yeti
vert. or kuskus, a thread-like Indian root,
furnishes another perfume of the same
class as sandal, but sharper and more APP
preaching floral odors 1t ;s a strong and
durable odor that give its Characteristic to
the cashmere bouquet soap. The ottar
OF vetivert is much higher in cost than even
that Of roses.
Bitter almonds, though containing no
ottar in their natural state, yield one by the
reaction of their constituents In the pres
ence Of water. Thus the still furnishes US
the almond odor, which while sickening in
itself, fluids place in minute quantities in
many of the finest floral compounds.
Vanilla is the eapsula ofa beautiful creep
ING plant native in Mexico and South Amer
lea. Ii is generally from six to ten inches
in length, about one-fourth OF an inch IN
diameter, cylindrical in shape, tapering to-
ward either end, and slightly fattened
The color is dark brown The interior
contains sort of pulp filled with little
shining black seeds. It's flavor and odor
are both familiar.
The origin of ambergris was long mys-
terry, but is now known to be diseased Sc
eretion of the spermaceti whale. 1t is
found floating on the surface of the sea,
and has an odor which is extremely un-
pleasant when pure, but which gives mel
lowness and permanency TO mixtures.
Musk is also a secretion, and is obtained
from the musk deer, pretty little animal
inhabiting the higher mountain ranges of
Tonquin, China, and Thibet The musk
found in a small pocket or pouch under the
belly of the deer, and, being cut off by the
hunters, becomes hard and dry and pre-
serves its contents as an unctuous powder
of reddish brown color. Its powerful,
warm aromatic odor blends well with every
other scent, aud gives them permaueucy
without being intrusive.
Mosquitoes