The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1899-06-16
POPULAR PERFUMES
HAVE EVER BEEN IN GREAT DEMAND
AMONG ALI. NATIONS.


Balm Was Much PriEed by the Natives
of Jndea and Arabia-Raising Fragrant
Flowers by the Ton-Orlgin of Lavender
some Perfumes Stronger Than Others.
The Bedouins perfume their hand
kerchiefs with an odoriferous earth
called ares. which comes from Alden,
south OF Arabia, aud is in much re-
QUESTION by the desert Arabs. saws
London Society. These nomad people
use clvet to anoint their bodies, a sub
stance of the consistency of honey,
taken from the anal glands of the
cVet cat, strong and offensive in it,
sell, bur agreeable when Il very small
proportion is mixed with other in
gradients. Kitto says that Arabs do
not salute; they simply smell each
otucr. II is common for Il parent To
say. All. child, thy swell is like Sen
Paga-PoO, Il flower sacred to ChriSna."
However agreeable this may be to the
noStriiS of the BrdOuin. the mixture of
the odurS of dirty skins and the strong
ciVet perfume is combination any
thing but pleasant To the European
nose
Some perfumes have stronger scent
than others; some give out their frag-
rance at special times. Certain flowers
need the warmth Of the sun; some the
soft rain, and others the cool night air
before they venture to throw out their
r"dOlcnce into the atmosphere Bar
th"lm says; THE odor of rosemary in
dicalcS the coast Of Spain more than
ten leagues out To sea-" And another
writer declares that the whole mir of
south Asia is filled with the smoke ana
odor of perfume" In Capua there was
one long street called The SeplaSia."
which consisted entirely of perfume
and Ungucnt shops. And i'll Bombay
the greater proportion of wares cN-
hibitrd in the haZaarS are perfumes.
of endless varieties.
Balm was much priced by the natives
of Judca and Arabia. from whence it
was procured. lliny says that YES
paSan ana Titus had shrubs of it
growing in Rome, which We're careful
ly tended. the branches being carried
10y the Romans in their triumphal pro
cCSSionS. To gather the balSam was Il
slow and tedious task. Alexander the
Great thought it Il fair midsummer
days work to ill "concha" with
balm-that it, less than thousandth
part of a pint Cinnamon is an aro-
matte bark of odorous fragrance. 1t
is Il native of Ceylon and India Kitto
tells us that it is precious and APP
prOpriatc to religious use. 1t is much
valued. and was the first spice sought
after or procured in all oriental voy-
ages, ancient or modern" The Egypt
ians and Romans held it in high
esteem HcrodotuS assures us that a
species of cinnamon was taken from
the nests of birds, and also found
sticking like lime to the boards of
goats. This substance was gathered,
compounded and used as ointments
and salvcS
The south of France is the flower
garden of Europe, Flower farming is
extensive in the Var Valley, and covers
about l15.OOO English acres. These
gardens produce over 5000 tons of
flowers annually. Lavender is our
English production, and is cultivated
about Hartford. Surrey and several
other districts. Its name, "lavandula =
from "lavare," to wash. indicates its
use, which was peri ulllllS lut udtHS
of wealthy people. Its flowers are
considered excellent for disorders of
the head and nerves. There are dis
tricts of lavender fields in Spain and
North Africa where it thrives mostly
on high SEA levels. Sweet as are the
influences of perfume as a panacea for
wOundS-a tonic for tagging health-a
rcfrcshment of the heat and dust-a
luxury for the toilct-and Il delicious,
permcating qualification for the senses
we would stop short of the custom of
the Carmani, who mingle their COM
panions' blood with fragrant sherbet
aud quaff it as pledge of friendship,
sealing the compact with much mutual
amounting of spikenards and affairs,
This to say the least, is eXaggerating
the province of perfumes.