The free press., 1893-08-10
A DELICATE ART.
Making Marketable Perfumes
From Flowers.
Process By Which Various
Scents Are Produced.


art, in which both chemical knowledge
and quick natural perceptions are re-
quired for success. The first process
ls the extraction of the essences by
distillation. A large copper vessel or
alembic is filed with water about two
thirds of its capacity; the flowers to
be treated arc then introduced, and it
is hermetically closed. 1t is then
placed on fire; usually gas or steam
is used for this purpose. Steam is
generated by this means in the cylin-
der, which is constantly kept replen-
ished with cold water. and is furnish
ed with an overflow cock. The pipe,
in its passage through this second
cylinder, assumes the form of a spiral
coil
The coil ends in cock at the bottom
Of the cy Under, from which the volatile
essence exudes drop by drop as the
steam becomes condensed in its passage
through the spiral coil. In this
manner the essence is collected in q
small glass vessel, while at the same
time the water containing small
portion of the scent, which still re-
mains in the alembic aforesaid, is itself
perfumed, and becomes the rose water
or orange-flower water of commerce.
All flowers are not susceptible of this
treatment-some of them, such as
jessamine, violet, cassie, tuberose, ETC.,
containing no essence, have to be
treated by different process. Of the
flowers producing essences, the orange
flower produces but one pound of
essence for one thousand pounds of
flowers. This essence is styled
"neroli," and is the principal essence
produced in the district between the
Var and the Italian frontier.
The volatile essences thus obtained
and mixed together with certain
quantity of alcohol, are used in the
preparation and as the basis of eau de
cologne, toilet vinegar, lavender
water, etc. There are two processes
used for the purpose of extracting
perfume from flowers which do not
contain the volatile essence. The first
may be described as the cold process,
and the second as the hot process. The
former is generally used for cassie
(Acacia farnerianO, iessamine, JON
quils, tuberoses, violets and some
other flowers.
Freshly gathered flowers are placed
upon layer of pure lard, one-fourth
inch in thickness, spread over sheet of
glass about two feet square, which is
framed in wood and forms kind of
tray. These trays, sometimes forty
or fifty together. are then piled upon
one another; the flowers are changed
every twelve, eighteen or twenty-four
hours, according 10 circumstances. and
the process is thus continued until the
lard is sufficiently charged with per-
fume. Jessamine and tuberose are
frequently changed as often as fifty
lines before the lard is considered to
be sufficiently impregnated, cassie and
violets forty to fifty times, and jon
quils about twenty times only.
The fat thus obtained can be packed
In air.hght tins and conveyed any
where; and 1t used to be thus exported
IN considerable quantities to RimmePs,
in London, from their garden at Nice.
When the hot process is resorted to
for the purpose of obtaining the i'm
pregnated fat, twenty kilos. of grease
are placed in copper vessel, together
with some five kilos. of flowers; the
vessel is then placed over slow fire
and the contents are we'll stirred.
After allowing the compound to boil
for ten minutes, the vessel is left to
cool for some hours; an additional
five kilos. of flowers are then added,
and the process is repeated until the
fat has absorbed the requisite amount
Of perfume; the hot liquid is then
poured through sieve, and the greasy
flower paste that remains is subjected
10 hydraulic pressure 1t is in these
two ways that the "pofhmades' of
trade are produced.
From these ''pommades" perfumed
and alcoholzed liquids are extracted
by means of grain spirit, and also by
spirits of wine; these are the Eek
tracts" of trade, and it is by the judi
cious blending of the different es-
,ences and the concentrated perfumes,