Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-08-29
FARMING FOR rLowERa
An Induatry Of the Future In This Country
Perhaps-Perfumes aud Pomadc..

EAhMAN0 fOh FLOWEkSSb
An Induatry of the Future In This Country
Observation-Disclosures aud Pomaic..
LNLOwER FARMING Is AN INDUSTRY TO
Il the development Of which in this country
the Department Of Agriculture looks forward
with hopeful confidence. Atpresent the United
States is an enormous buyer from France Of CO.
iogne waters, pomades and perfumed oils. which
might Just as we'll be produced domestically
Many great districts at moderately high slti-
tude between the thirtieth and forteth parallels
Of latitude are excellenty adapted to this sort
Of horticultural pursuit on a commercial scale,
and the only reason why it has not already been
taken up and pushed to success seems to be
that no one has seriously thought about it.
This seems rather surprising too, in view Of
the comparative simplicity Of the business and
Of the readiness OF opportunities at hand.
There is no essential popularity Of soil or eli
mate in the flower farming region in the south
Of France which is not reproduced over great
extents Of territory here. What is required for
the purpose is merely altitude of at least 500
feet above sea level, a calcareous SOIL shelter
from cold north winds and freedom from the
white frosts of lower areas. Attempts have
been made in Florida to raise orange blossoms
for market, but their failure was due simply to
the circumstance that lOw-lying lands were
selected for their cultivation, trees bearing the
edible fruit being used for the purpose: Ex-
perience has shown that flowers of all sorts
grown high above the sea have finer and more
intense bouquet.
One great advantage which American pro-
ducers would ordinarily enjoy is natural moist
ure in plenty, whereas the French are obliged
| to depend largely upon expensive irrigation.
THE SIMPLEST BLOSSOMS PREFERRED.
Farms to raise flowers upon, therefore, are
plenty enough in the United States. As for
the blossoms themselves, they are of the SIM
plest possible varieties, and the rearing of
them requires no exceptional skill. The French
cultivators eschew all fancy varieties in this
sort of work. Their violets are of the single
kind; their roses are Of the common pink sort.
| such grow about farm houses in the rural
districts of this country; their tuberoses and
white jasmines are of the plainest description.
They find the plain ones best for their pur-
pose, because they have the sweetest smell and
most of it. In adjoining the rose horticul-
| turists have let go some of its delightful odor.
and portion of its perfume has been with
drawn from the violet incidentally to the pro-
cess Of doubling" its petals.
Thus it would appear that there can be no
difficulty about raising the flowers. The va
riety needed is not large. Jonquils violets and
mignonette mature in February, March and
April. In May and June roses and orange
blossoms. with thyme and rosemary. are gath
cred. Jasmines and tuberoses come along in
ust, hNtIutr anu eplkCndrQ
September. and acacia in October and Novem-
Der. The harvest time lasts for nine months in
the year, during which in France BUYERS 60
about In wagons from plantation to plantation.
purchasing crops at whatever may be the cur
rent rates. Roses, of course, are the most i'm
portant product and after they have been
picked the bushes are cut down nearly to the
ground in order to keep their vigor from going
TO leaves and to preserve it for next seasons
blossoms All flowers are gathered as early in
fha pnnr ntpv In
fresh and as strong of perfume as may be. The
thyme and rosemary are raised mostly by farm
ers in other lines of agricultural industry, who
usually possess the simple apparatus necessary
Tor dlstllling the plants. Such essences as they
produce are OF an inferior Sort and are utilized
chiefly to adulterate the better kinds
MADE INTO PERFUMES.
Now, the Transforming Of the flowers, once
grown and picked, into marketable perfumes
and pomades is not an affair requiring great
skill. You can do the thing yourself on a small
scale II you have garden. Take frame like
window sash. holding single pane of glass,
wash the glass carefully and cover both sides Of
1t with n thin layer of grease made of two parts
Of lard and one of tallow. Pick off the petals of
a lot Of roses or violets, throwing the rest of
the flowers away, and lay them over the grease
Have a dozen such frames, thus prepared and
stack them up by laying them evenly on top of
one another. Thus you will have series of
SAoecu ShahpoIp, cdCu containing layer OF
flower petals between a floor and a ceiling of
grease. Fat or oil of any kind has a strong afin-
ity for perfumes. and so the grease absorbs the
smell Of theviolets or roses. Put in fresh petals
every day, and at the end of two or three
months the grease will be intensely impregnated
with the odor Of the flowers Scrape it off the
glass then and put it in alcohol The latter
has an affinity for the perfume even stronger
than that which the grease possesses, so it will
quickly absorb it from the grease and, upon
pouring the alcohol off into another vessel
you will have exquisite eau de cologne.
That is precisely the way in which the French
manufacture their cologne waters The grease
scraped from the glass frames, which is called
pomade, is packed in tin cans and sent to the
cities, where it is treated with alcohol. After
ward, for the sake Of the scent which it still
retains, it is employed as an ingredient of
soaps. All the processes are performed at fac
tories to which the flowers bought from the
farmers taken. Careful manipulation.
scrupulous cleanliness, and the understanding
of a few simple rules are all that is required
Women do the work almost wholly, and here it
is urged, might be found a great field for the
employment in light and agreeable occupa-
ton of wage earners of the gentler sex in this
country. For their sake it il permissible to
hope that the time is not far distant when this
industry will be taken up in tho United States
and Uncle sam will no longer look to foreign
parts for bis perfume and pomade.