Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1898-09-22
HOW PERFUMES ARE MADE.
The Interesting Industry Carried on in
the Maritime Aims

The extraction OF perfume is an cxcecd-
ingly complex art. The department of the
Maritime Alps Is marvellous garden
that has always given French perfumery
an indisputable supremacy, and u.s. more
over. the granary Of foreign pcrfumeries
says ia Nature" of Paris. The pretty
city of Grassc. the centre OF flowers Of the
entire world, has, for several centuries
been the home of an extensive interesting
and very picturesque industry. The cut
tors, women and children, at daybreak be-
fore the rays of the sun have fallen upon
the flowers (and sometimes called by the
sound of a horn at night when "A storm
thrcatens) assemble. and, excited by the
rhythm of their songs, perch upon the
trees or stoop beneath the bushes to do
the gathering. For the most part these
are Italians. since the ordinary native
force does not suffice The cut flowers
are put into bags and carried upon tho
backs of donkeys to the works. where they
are received by girls who sort them and
spread them out upon the pavement of Il
cool hall, where the manipulation comes to
get them.
! There are two sorts of fiowers-those in
which the perfume exists entirely con-
donsed before beginning to evaporate, and
/ those In which 1t is gradually produced II
few moments only before 1t is disengaged.
Hence arise two different methods. The
flowers that readily give mp their concrete
odor by rapid and violent means are treat
ed by a distillation, while the others re-
quire a slower and more delicate process
/ the use of a solvent.
/ Here is presented a second difficulty.
! that of separating the essential oil from
resin, tannn and impurities. \ solvent Of
/ the essential oil will. as a general thing
carry along a portion of these substances.
b If. for example. the oil Is soluble In the
aqueous liquids that impregnatc the It's
sues of the flower. II will partake of the
Ill odor thereof. on the other hand. If II
is TOO active it Will kill the plant and pre-
vent the odor from developing. The SOL
vent used Is a mixture Of beef suet and
lard washed, melted and prepared with
3 the greatest care, II may be replaced by
very pure olive oil or highly refined ncu-
tralne OIL
Such are the two principal methods-dis-
tllaton and solution. The latter, when
performed in the warm way, is called ma
ccration, and, in the cold, cnhcuraSe.
There are but two flowers that will with
stand diStllation, the rose and the orange.
Maceraton Is applied to the violet, cas-
STA, jonquil rose and orange flower
/ Women standing in front of n water
bath stove melt the fat in timed basins
called "bugadicrs" Into these they throw
the flowers, and keep them submerged. by
means of spatula, AT n temperature OF
about 81 degrees for half an hour. Then
they take them out. drain them and pass
the amalgamatcd residua, heated by boil
ing water, into hydraulic press, in order
to remove the last traces of fatty matter.
But single macerntion does not suffice TO
perfume the suet which IS so far scarceIs
odoriferous. The workmen Their taKe this
same fat, recharge 1t with flowers and re-
begin the operation and proceed until the
fatty body has acquired the desired
strength. 1t is estimated that it takes
; five pounds of flowers to perfume pound
OF fat. With certain flowers % treat
ments are required.
Enhcurage is employed for the jasmine
and tuberose. In the beginning It was per-
formed in double plates called 'tames,"
and capable of holding twelve ounces OF
pomade. From the beginning of the pre-
sent century wooden frames three incnes
in depth "A inches in width and IS Inches
, In length, and with II glass bottom, have
been used A layer of fat is spread upon
, this glass by means of a spatula, and up-
on this are directly laid the flowers, The
frames are arranged in piles of 10, one up
: on another. The flowers are thus inclosod
l between two frames, which form u
: EMAIL close, cool chamber, in which the
: aroma develops under the best conditiona
possible, The next day the flowers are re-
placed by fresh ones, and so on until tho
l pomadc has acquired n sufficient strength
2 of perfume. In order TO manufacture per-
fumed oils. use is made of frames in
D which the glass Is replaced by wire
gauze upon which rests a piece of wool
e len saturated with the OIL The perfumea
oil is corrected py pressing All Tue pieces
of woollen.
The process is very lengthy, and with
the jasmine takes three months, More
o over, 1t is very expensive on account of
u the material that II requires. The small
) est establishments possess 1000 frames,
e large works 40,oN One frame, in fact,
= cannot support more than 10 ounces of fat.
: and one piece of woollen more than two
p pounds of oil. To transform this per-
c fumed fat into extracts, 1t is maccrated
with alcohol.
: In the department OF the Maritime Alps
: there are annually treated 100000 pounds
: of roses, $500 900 pounds of orange flowers.
. 440, 900 pounds of jasmine, $4,000 pounds Of
cassia flowers $50, 900 pounds OF tuberoscs.
e 4iO 900 pounds OF violets.