Daily tobacco leaf-chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1890-1895, 1890-03-15
TICKLING THE NOSTRILS.
DELIGHTFUL PERFUMES DISTILLED
FROM FRAGRANT FLOWERS.


Extracted Rs Health Promoter-Ani-
NAL Perfumes.
To smell sweet is as fashionable nowadays
as II is TO look sweet. Some people are as
curious to know what perfumery their neigh
bors use as they are interested in their wear
ing apparel Perfumery and cologne are no
longer considered luxury, but a necessity
It has not always been thus. Our grand
mothers and even our mothers have seen the
day when bottle Of cologne was something
not easily procured 1t is only within recent
years that the cost of perfumes has been SO
reduced as to enable everybody to enjoy the
luxury.
| A prominent physician told the writer re-
Gently that by neglecting to tutor the sense
of smelling people are constantly led to
breathe impure air, and thus poison the body
by neglecting the warning given at the gate
Of the lungs, Those whc Use perfumes are
more sensitive to the presence OF vitiated at
mosphere than those who either consider the
faculty of smelling as useless gift or do not,
through ignorance, appreciate the good de-
rived from keeping the smelling organ in
good condition.
THE ART OF PERFUMERY.
Being curious to know how perfumers cap
ture these subtle fragrances that puzzle the
wills of would be extractors, the writer
called upon Boston firm who manufacture
all kinds Of perfumes and colognes
"The art of perfumery is wonderful one,n
said the chemist, and one which is not gem
orally understood. To be a successful per-
fumer, one must have good nose for differ
ent odors, just as much as a newspaper man
must OF necessity possess the note for news
before he can make a good journalist. To
the unlearned nose all odors are alike, but
when tutored, either for pleasure or profit
no member Of the body is mora sensitive
Wine merchants, tea brokers, drug dealers,
tobacco importers and others have to go
through regular nasal course Of training
"The following are the principal odors
used in perfumes; Rose, cinnamon, musk,
heliotrope, geranium stock and pinlKs, jas
mine, violet, tonquin bean, orange flower
vanilla, sweet pea, orris, balsam of peru, per-
galaria, CASTOR calamus, clematis, santal,
Glove, storax, wallAower, patchouly, civet,
verbena, citronella, pineapple, peppermint,
lavender, magnolia, ambergris, cedrat, ber-
gamot, mint, syringa, ionquille Portugal
grass new hay), tubsrose acacia
"Flowers yield perfumes in all climates,
but those growing in the warmer latitudes
are more prolific in their odor, while those
from the colder are the sweetest
'Does the odor of plants always reside ia
the blossomf
mot always, sometimes in the root, as in
the iris and vitivert; the stem or wood in
cedar and santal; the leaves ia mint, patch
ouly and thymes the flower in the roses and
vioets; the seeds in the tonquin bean anu
caraway; the bark In cinnamon, etc The
odors Of flowers are more generally secreted
during sunshine, but there are some which
yield no odor in the daytime, but are very
fragrant in the evening, Flowers plucked
for perfuning purposes must be taken when
the secretion Of odor is at its height 1t is a
strange fact that white flowers are the most
fragrant and pleasing to the smell, while the
brown colored flowers are of little use to the
perfumer."
"Are not flowers cultivated for perfuming
purposes in some parts of the United StatesP'
Decidedly not Our climate, or climates,
are peculiar, but not adapted for this pur-
pose."
EXTRACTING THE oDoRs.
How is the odor extracted from the flower
or plantr'
"The plant, or that part Of IT which con-
tains tho odoriferous principle, is placed in
an iron, copper or glass pan, varying in size
from that capable of holding from one TO
twenty gallons, and covered with water; to
the pan dome shaped lid is fitted, termi-
mating with pipe which is twisted cork
screw fashion and fixed in bucket. This
apparatus is called STILL in which the
water is caused to boil, and, having DO other
exit, the steam must pass through the coiled
pipe which, being surrounded by cold water
in the Ducket, condenses the vapor before it
can arrive at the tap. With the steam the
volatile oil, that is the perfume, rises and is
liquefed at the same time and is preserved
Another process, which is now becoming
quite common, is the pomade process, or
maceration. The operation is conducted
thus; A certain quantity of purified lard Is
put into clean metal or porcelain pan; this
being melted by steam heat or bath. The
kind Of flowers required for the odor wanted
are carefully picked and placed in contact
with the liquid fat and allowed TO remain
from twenty-four to forty-eight hours
"The fat has particular affinity or attrac-
tion for the otto Of flowers, and, as il were,
draws it out OF them and becomes itself by
from the spent flowers, and fresh flowers are
added ten or fifteen times over till the po-
made is of the required strength. The pomade
is then packed in cans and is ready for trans
portation The next thing to do when the
odor that lies in the fat is to be converted
into cologne is to extract it from the lard
This ia done by simple process Of permeating
the fat with highly distilled alcohol, which is
called cologne spirits The cologne spirits
takes every particle of the odor from the lard;
it Is then placed in sealed jars and is allowed
to stand for at least twelve months before it
is converted into perfumery for the market.
As with wine, the longer 1t stands the more
virtue there is in IL.
Perfumes, it is well known, are also de-
rived from animals. The musk OK and deer,
the civet an animal much resembling the
common cat, and the whale furnish odors
known as musk aud ambergris. The perfume
known as civet is probably one Of the Oldest
perfumes known. The odor OF civet is best
impaired, not by actual contact, but by be-
ing placed in the neighborhood Of absorbent
Thus, when spread on leather
and placed In a writing desk, it perfumes the
paper and envelopes delightfully."-, 50 much so
that they retain the odor after passing
through the mails. Valentines are scented
in this way.
Undoubtedly the perfume known as new
mown hay is the most popular of perfumes.
The fragrance Of hay IS one OF the Ticst
grateful to our senses and II is natural that
there should be a demand Tor . perfume q
this odor. The odor Of hay is due 10 the YER
nal grass it contains. When vernsl grass is
weh grown, cut and dried, it evolves an
odorous principle similar to that yielded by
the conmarine or tonquin bean. The follow