The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-08-30
A VAST FLOWER GARDEN.
F. B. Beckett Discovers a New
Process of Extracting
OdOrS.
AN INDUSTRY FOR CALIFORNIA.
All the Scents Now Used In America
Come From Foreign
Countries.

After years of patient toll, hard study
Beckett has discovered a process that
seems destined to be the means of estab-
fishing an important industry on the Pa
cific Coast and the only one of its kind in
America.
Mr.. Beckett's discovery consists of the
art of extracting the odors of flowers al
most instantly, thereby effecting great
saving in both labor and time over the
present process.
The one thing above all others that
makes Mr.. Beckett's invention CONNER
cially valuable is the fact that 80 per cent
of the perfumes used in America have had
their origin in foreign countries, France
furnishing the largest portion of the odors
used in making them.
81 am hardly ready to have my discov-
cry on the invention heralded to the world
as a process that will revolutionize the
art of perfumery," said Mr.. Beckett yes
terday. 81 am free to admit, however,
that / have method of extracting the
odors of flowers that will cheaper the cost
of perfumes three-fourths. | have APP
piled for and secured patents on each idea
as quickly as they evolved, but until one
or two minor details are perfected no one
but the authorities at Washington Will be
admitted to any of the secrets of the pro.
cess, the discovery of which has cost me
years of hard study.
Here are a few samples of perfumes
which have just made" continued Mr..
Beckett, pointing to small walls of rose,
violet and tuberose extracts. "You will
observe that the bouquet of the rose, or
any of the perfumes for that matter, is
identical with that of the flower, which is
not true of any perfume now on the mar
ket.
1.-THE art Of manipulating odoriferous
substances for the qualification of the sense
of smell is best understood in France.
There are thousands of people in the Latin
countries who follow fower-gathering as
their only occupation, many of the most
provident owning what we would term a
flower ranch. The product of these farms
is sold directly to the manufacturer. when
the process of evaporating or absorbing
the odors is begun. This is accomplished
by spreading oil or grease over trays and
tables, and then laying the flowers gently
over the creased surface. After given
length of time, varying, of course, with
the flower, the oil or grease is carefully
gathered up packed in small cans, when
it is ready for either house use or exporta-
tion This odorized oil is converted into
perfume by placing it in spirits, where it is
readily absorbed, resulting in violet, rose
or jasmine extract, as the case might be.
'My process does away with all this time
and labor, necessarily decreasing the cost
of perfumes to the consumer. This ques-
ton of cost has been the one thing that has
prevented the manufacturing of odors in
America. No spot in the world is so richly
endowed in the way of flowers as is Cali
fornia, and certainly no section is so ia
vored by nature.
II honestly believe that the manufacture
- 49, Lro 49,
est industry of California and that before
many years the State will be one big flower
garden"
Flower-farming is confined almost ex-