Evening star., 1901-06-01
AMERICANS LIKE SCENTS
TONS OF VIoLETs GROWN TO MAKE
POWADE.
zen Thousand Pounds of Roses
Make One Pound of
Essence.
Written for The Evening star.

Written for The Evening star.
Throughout the south, in southern Call
fornia and the middle west there are many
places where soil and climate are partigii-
iarly adapted TO flower growing. and tre
field is open for some energetic individual
to start an industry which eventually
might become great as those of rcnoNn
at Grasse or Nice. The Americans Il is
said are thu greatest sCcnt-usirg people in
the world. Every year thousands Of dol
lars worth of perfumes and pomades are
imported and distributed throughout the
states. The best violet pomade. which is
one of the most expensive made. sells at
wholesale for not less than $50 per pound.
while number of others are hardly less
expensive In the hope of eventually sup
plying this demand violcts during the last
few years have been produced by the ton
m southern California.
Pomades first made a sort of stock,
from which the skillful pcrfumer extracts
the odGrS 10y means Of alcohol The refuse,
or waste material. he then. with r little
Judicious doctoring. makes into soaps,
other pomades toilet waters. From
roses pomades are usually made through
the process called "exhaustirn.' stated
simply, it il in the following way: Great
pans filled with lard or beef fat are covered
thicklN with the petals OF the blossoms and
then heated 10y steam. As they begin to
give up their essences their color pales, an
occurrence which is the signal for their re-
moVal. The lard is then covered with fresh
petals, which again are only allowed to re-
main on its SurlIc" long enough to lose
their fragrance. Three or four times the
lard is thus strewm with fresh petals. un-
til il has become so Thoroughly saturated
with the odors that ii will receive no more.
The fat then is placed in sieve and the
thick substance which is pressed out OF II
is called pomade.
The dstillation Of scent is usually done
by "A machine. which collects the water or
oil and thus obtains the very quint essence
of perfume. Something Of its value may
be conceived when it is known that 1900
pounds of rose leaves produce hut one
pound of the essence. hut of such intense
strength are these essences that with the
aid of oils, resin or some animal secretions.
perfumers, through combinations and ma
nirulatlons. can obtain from them almost
any desired scent. Then can, moreover,
Keep strictly in pace with the fashions. 1t
is because of this that We occasionally
read of the immense sales which some
favored orchid perfume has had. although
We may know that this particular flower is
quite lacking in the charm of fragrance.
AT one time had thrust upon IN
Vulnerable golden-rod perfumes. because
the plant was then being talked about for
the national flower. Tho sweet et-scented
golden rod. Solidago Odor.ta. however, iS
the only one of tn" great tribe which has
any perceptiblc oder. and that being similar
to anise would hardly be agreeable to wear
continually about ones clothes At the
present time violet is he most fashionable
scent. and the flower has been perfected to
IN astonishing degree. Besides tn. output
from various other places 3uo.e pounds
Of these blossoms ar" used annually at
Grasse in France and 10000 pounds at
Came and Nice. To obtain this perfume
the flowers have to he treated i'm quite a
different way from roses Like heliotrope,
tuberoses, iessamiue and mieuon, tie, they
cannot De subjected to heat. Therefore
they are brought into contact with wool
saturated with olive oil, through which
their particular oils pass outward. or else
they are exposed to lard thiuly spread on
framed sheets Of glass. OF course, as with
the rose leaves, these flowers are renewed
until the grease is thoroughly saturated
Every thing. it must be Remembered. in
connection with the handling of the flowers
must be done quickly. for much depends on
their perfect freshness. their scent being
their most elusive and quickly lost charac-
teristic. At Grasse hundreds of women are
about before the dawn picking the blos-
SONS, which they also clean and pile in
great masses in the work rooms These
places must be spacious, full of light and
air, but never admit the direct rays Of tho
sun. Owing to this very necessity tor
speed the yearly product of essences. which
is now enormous. would not be possible
Were 1t not that the flowers follow each
other in succession in their seasons OF
blooming.
Always there seems to be a demand for
some new scent. The wcll-known frangi-
panni essence, which at one time was only
detected on a certain select few. is made
up from several species of plumeria, a
genus of plants which grows in certain
parts of South America and i'm the West
Indies, or perhaps more especially from
plumeria rubra, the Japanese. Gichia. now
the most exclusive and fashionable scent,
leaves a wave of faint impressions similar
to the odor of Sandalwood.
To the women who would seek for money
or renown in the procuring of original
scents or saable pomades ii may be hintcd
that knowledge must in some practical way
be gained of how first to obtain lard abSo-
lutely pure and without the slightest tiuge
of odor. 1t also must be so clarified that
rancidity is impossible. or all pomades Will
fall before the tests to which the dealers
subject them.