The Calhoun chronicle. [volume] (Grantsville, W. Va.) 1883-1984, 1896-10-06
A NEW INDUSTRY.
RAISING FLOWERS TO MAKE
PERFUMERY IN THE SOUTH.
Highly Interesting Experiments I'm
North Caroline-Hew Altar sf
Roses and Other Famous
Perfumes Are Made.

the nnest MOVERS are raised In
this country, and experiments
Rre being made in flower farming that
must convince the most skeptical that
there Is no product of the soil that
cannot be raised Somewhere within
the limits OF the United States. It may
sound little strange TO some TO hear
such professional as Professor Mas.
sey OF the North Carolina Experiment
Station say that the rich lands of the
coast counties OF his State can pro.
duce better lily bulbs for general pur.
1t IS well known that most OF our lily
bulbs come from Bermuda, our mar.
cissus from Southern England or the
Scilly Islands, aud the lily of the val
ley pips from Holland but here at
the experiment station in North Caro-
lima all OF these imported bulbs are
being cultivated to demonstrate the
superiority OF American grown bulbs.
But this Is only the beginning of
flower farming in this section that is
destined to spread and become one of
the most important industries in this
country. The question of raising
has been nGitatel for some tine in the
South, and Professor Massey has given
his advice and helped to forward every
effort in that direction. Some excel.
lent extracts from the flowers have been
male and sold in the market. A DO
made distilled from the tuberose flow
ers was made by lady in South Caro-
lima, near Columbia, VIII CHI sold for
81 per pound in New York a lead.
ing firm offered to take all similar DO.
mades that she could manufacture at
correspondingly high prices. At the
Atlanta Exhibition quite variety of
American pcr.umery made in the
Southern States was exhibited and at
tracted considerable attention.
Now efforts are being made toward
manufacturing the famous latter of
roses" and the damask rose bush, the
Rosa Damascena OF the Balkans, has
been introduced in the thermal
belts" where every condition seems
favorable to its growth. This is the
rose from which ninety per cent. of
the after of rose is made. 1t is the
ancestor from which the infinite var
lety OF hybrid perpetual roses derive
a large part OF their blood. Other
sorts of roses have been tried for
dIstllling the celebrated perfume, but
only two Others yield even faint
trace of this essence. One OF these is
the white musk rose and the other n
dark-eyed variety of Damascena, bnt
they do not contain more than one.
half the perfume found in the bushy
damask rose.
Although the greatest amount of at
tar OF roses is made in the Balkans and
at Leipsic, France is still the home of
most perfume flowers, and Grassc.
Cannes and Nice are famous for their
perfumes of roses, violets, jasmine,
lavender and orange The French
chemists have succeeded better than
any other in distilling from the flowers
the most delicate perlumery. Their
methods of extracting the perfumery
are supposed to be held secret and
guarded with jealous care, and the
difficulty in this country has been that
no one has given the attention to the
dlstlllIng part OF the business that the
occasion demands. A French chemist
connected with one Of the largest per.
fumery firms in France recently visit.
cd this country to make experiments
with our roses, and he claimed that
the flowers raised in the South and in
California yielded about twenty per
cent. more of the volatile oil than
similar flowers in bis own country
The report to his company was to de.
eide them as to the question of trylng
to establish branch house in this
country, and 1T IS runored that ne
gotlatlons are already under way TO
fecure valuable flower land either in
the thermal belts" along the Atlan.
tic coast or ia California.
Meanwhile, however, PROGRESS in
making American perfumerv has nd.
yanced to such n point in the South
that many growers are actually plant
ing extensive gardens for this pur-
pose. The damosk roses of the
ITALIANS have been planted not far
from Fayetteville, n. c.. and they arc
rapidly growing and producing LARGE
crops. Experiments with tho bios |
SONS have been made, and they have
yielded n fair quantity OF the after.
I'm their native home the roses arc
threatened with frost at night, but
rarely injured, and IL is supposed that
this cool night atmospheric develops
the precious ottnr Now the "thermal |
belts along the Atlantic coast are el. |
eyatcd above the damp air OF the val. |
ley'. and arc usually exempted from /.
the late spring fro8ts, but the NIGHTS |
are very cool. The soil here is of the /.
right texture TO produce the rose
bushes, and so far as experiments can /
he made everything seems to be in
favor Oh the new industry. This wear .
the first altar OF roses will be extract |
cd from the new plants in sufficient
quantity 90 be sent 60 the market, and /
upon the success OF this crop will
LARGELY depend the future outlook.
The altar OF roses is not dinicujt 10
make. The chief question is to obtain 4
the flower leaves that will yield the
oil The freshly opened roses are
gathered early iu the mornipg and
carried to the distllery, where they
are turned into rose water within
twelve hours. The still is very simple
OF construction and is filled three.
with water and rose leaves
Then a fire is lighted under it. The
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