Evening capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1888-1893, 1890-01-02
PRECIOUS PERFUMES.
something About the lnsreoients
Used in aneir Composition.
A Fragrant subject Discussed in an inter
estinx way--The Flowers, Spices
and Herbs Employed by Per-
fumers Here and Abroad.

The rose is one Of the most valuable Of
tho limited series of flowers available to the
nerfumer. When dried it is useful 10
sachets or scented powders, disulleo, u
Yields rose water and the we'll ottari
and subjected to enfleurage 1t gives OIL
pomade and alconoIate The variety cnleny
used is the hunured-leaved Rosa centifola
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 vel
low or straw-coIored liquid, possessing
high degree of concentration, the character
istic odor of the flower, and dlnuslveness
and perslstency 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
weld the ottar known as the oil Of neroii
or neroly, and by enheurage pomade and
alcoholate of delightful fragrance. The
rind of the ripe fruit contains useful OF,
and the small unripe berries and leaves
also furnish one. Another orange OF inn
portance is that known as the Berg6mm
from which the oil of bergamot is produced
The common lemon gives an essence hav-
ing both perfume and flavor, while from
the citron is taken the truly delightful es
sence known as the ottar of cedrat.
BY enheurage the modest violet yields an
odor which is universally admired for its
delicacy and sweetness. The chief violet
beds are at Nice, where the plants are bed
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
myallwood, native of Australi. The acacia
IN ia n
grows only in southern ATTITUDES, and the
flowers, which are yellow and about the
size of a large pea are cassie flowers
These are treated by enaeurage. Cassie
must not be confounded with cassia, which
is the common cinnamon.
The tuber-rose is dubious plant, first no
tlced by old writers as the Indian hyacinth.
The odor is obtained by enheurage, and is
not only favorite in It's pure state, but en-
ters into the formation of the most recher-
che bouquet. France, Italy and Spain con-
tain the chief gardens of the tuber-rose, al
though there is no reason why in this in
dustry, as in so many others, California
should not enter the competing field.
The ylang -ylang (hower of f1owers) Is the
blossom of large tree natlve in the islands
of the India archipelago. Its native Tagal
name is the ihlang -iblang, the Malays call IL
unona odoratlsslma. The flowers remind
one somewhat of the locust blossom Their
color is a greenish yellow, and they possess
an odor resembling mixture of jasmine
and lilac, so powerful that it scents the air
for miles. The ylang-ylaug was first dis
covered by a chemist at Manila in 1867. 1t
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 is an
Indian plant resembling our garden sage.
To the natives it is known as putchapat,
both leaves and stem yielding an ottar of
great strength and very peculiar odor.
the spice series cloves ana cinnamon
are the only ones that are much used in per-
fumery, and these are chiefly employed in
soaps The Glove tree is largely cultivated
in the West Indies and the Malacca islands,
while the cinnamon is not the bark of COM
merce, but comes from smaller tree, and
has a milder odor and flavor, with faint
touch of muskiness. Cassa comes from
China, the true cinnamon from Ceylon.
Two odorous grasses, natives OF India,
furnish ottars Of extensive uSefulness.
One is lemon grass, having strong re-
semblance in odor to the lemon verbena,
and from it nearly all our "extracts OF ver-
bena" and ''verbena water" are made.
The other ottar is citrone la, perfume
which most persons have made ac-
uuaintance with in the so-called honey
soap"
The wood of the sandal tree, native Of
the West Indies, gives curious odor, great
ly admired in Oriental countries and much
valued by u.s. 1t is both used In substance
and distilled for its ottar. Vetivert, or kus-
kus, a thread-like Indian root furnishes
another perfume of the same class as san
dal, but sharper and more approaching
floral odors. 1t is a strong and durable
odor that gives its characteristic to the
"cashmere bouquet soap. The ottar OF
vetivert is much higher in cost than even
that of roses. Tu ru
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 slckening in
itself, finds place in minute quantities IN
many of the finest floral compounds.
Vanilla is the capsula of a beautiful creep
ing plant native in Mexico and South Amer
lea. 1t 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 t1attened.
w.
tains sort of pulp filed with little shining
black seeds. Its flavor and odor are both
familiar.
The origin Of ambergris was long mys-
terry, but is now known to be diseased Sc
erection of the spermaceti whale. 1t is found
floating on the surface of the sea, and has
an odor which is sextremely unpleasant when
pure, but which gives mellowness and per
manency to mixtures.
Musk is also a secretion, and is obtained
from the musk deer, pretty little animal
inhabting the higher mountain ranges OF
Tonquin. China, and Thibet The musk is
found in small pocket or pouch under the
belly Of the deer, and, being cut OF 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 and gives them permanency
without being intrusive.
Anecdote of Webster.
When quite young at school, Dane'
Webster was One daV OlulfV of a violation