The Portland daily press., 1899-06-23
AMERICAN PERFUMES.
We Make All of Those Used I'm the
United states.
(Cincinnati Tribuns.)

Americas consum ption Of perfumes IL
enormous, and their manufacture here
has been Increasing or many years. Al
most every woman in the land would be
at loss to know how to dispense with
perfumery, and, although many do not
use 1t upon their person, 1t Is regarded
as essential TO the toilet, the bath and
the clothes closet. The bureau drawers
would NOT be complete without the sachet,
sweet with perfume, and face and hands
must be washed with water smelling OF
the favorlte extract, which refreshes and
revives as we'll as leaves q sweet perfume,
after destroying all Objectionable odors
which cling to the skin. 1t Is not only
the rich who Grave the sweet perfume, for
the poor seek 1t and make many sacrifices
to possess it.
While scarcely twenty years ago France
sent us everything in the way of bottled
perfume, not one-tenthl Of our immense
consumption Of that luxury is imported
nowadays. New York manufacturers
dispose OF more than IS, 600, 00U worth of
bottled perfume each year. Chicago about
half that amount followed by Boston.
Philadelphia, San Francisco, ST Louis
and many other cities, until the total
amount OF money expended for perfumery
in one year Is astonishing.
There seems to be general belief that
the handkerchief perfumes Of American
manufacture are mere chemical imita-
lions OF the foreign make. 1t is an error,
for the fact Is that the genuine oil of
flowers, from which our bottled odors are
made, is imported principally from
France, while genuine mbergris and
musk are not found here. but must be
bought in other countries, These are
the bases of all perfumes. Southern
France is the great garden of commercial
doors. and cur manufacturers have settled
down to the conviction that this country
10 incapable of producing essential oils of
flowers either as strong or as cheaply as
those of France. One hundred pounds of
rose leaves in France will yield dessert
spoonful of essential oil, while it will take
full ton Of American roses to produce
the same quantity of the oil.
The leading flowers which provide the
popular perfumes are jasmine, violet,
tuberose, bitter.orange flower and cassia
The combinations Of these give most Of
the refreshing and delightful perfumes
used in this country. Most OF these flow
ers are Indigenous to the south of
France, but oassia. which is the blossom
OF the cinnamon tree, comes from the
East Indies, as does also the tuberose.
Bitter orange is cultivated largely in Up
per Italy and great Quantities are
brought from Florida Violets are more
difficult TO grew than any other flower,
and the essential oil of this lovely flower
is the most volatile of all flower extracts,
and one of the most delioate. Violet ex-
tract is double the value of any other es-
sential oil of flowers. 10 retain for any
length of time the oils of violet tuberose,
jasmine and other delicate flowers, they
must be extracted peculiarly. When vio-
let Is scarce, cassia is used instead.
Musk, which Is so essential 20 the psr.
fumer, is worth its weight in gold. 1t
Is said corn spirits ara the best for toilet
water, as they are purer and less odorous
than any other Bay rum-the pure ar
ticle-comes from the Nest Indies, and
is made frem the leaves and berries OF
the green bay, and mixed with pure st.
Croix rum, distilled by steam in copper
pipes. There 10 little Of the genuine ar
ticle in this country, as most bay rum
on sale by the druggists is manufactured
by them from the bay oil and alcohol.
1t Is not as delicious nor as cooling as the
genuine article prepared In the West In
dies.
Flower extracts originally were made
by distillation, which is long and tedious,
to say nothing Of it's expensiveness.
When and how the process of grease abb
sorption, or, as the French style it, en-
heurage, was discovered, Ii Is impossible
to say, but 1t is supposed that 1t revealed
itself by mere accident, and to no one
In particular belongs the honor of it's dis
coyery. a s&e