The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-08-09

Few people have any conception OF
the extent of the perfume industry
or of the immense number of flowers
that are annually grown for the ex-
tract gained from them.
In Southeastern Europe from May to
the middle of July women and girls
to the number of 100000 are employed
gathering roses.
AS a commercial product the rose is
grown in many parts of the world.
Not only in the neighborhood of Paris,
but more extensively in the south of
France, roses are cultivated for the
purpose of manufacturing the altar,
and over 100000 pounds of rose
leaves are annually collected.
In Algiers and Tunis the rose was
formerly grown much more than at
present, for the competition of other
places has become SO severe that the
Algerians and Tunisians are now turn
ing their attention to. the geranium
which, in that mild climate, producing
its flower nearly all the year, is a
more profitable crop.
The valley of Damascus yields fine
quality of altar, and the vale of Cash
mere has for ages been famous, not
only for its roses, but also Tor the
quality of it's product.
In Northern and Central India rose
water and altar are manufactured.
At Ghazipur, near Benares, there are
miles upon miles of rose gardens, real
ly fields, in which the rose is cult
waited for the flowers.
In Italy and Sicily rose culture is
practiced for the sake of the product,
and during the last twenty-five or
thirty years the altar or essence of the
rose has become one of the most i'm
portant commercial resources of Bull
garia.
There is a district in Roumania over
100 miles long by forty miles which,
by climate and soil, is singularly well
adapted to the. production of the rose
and almost the whole of this region
is given up to rose fields.
No more charming spectacle is pre-
scented in the world than Roumanian
rose field during the picking season.
The time of the harvest is known for
400 or 500 miles in every direction, and
whole families migrate from Bosnia,
Servia, Northern Bulgaria, Albania and
even from Greece, Roumania and Asia
Minor. to take part in gathering the
roses.
The harvest lasts about eight weeks,
and during this time any one who can
pick roses can find job in the south
ern Balkans. Every picker is equipped
with basket holding about two bush
els, for rose leaves are light. When the
baskets are full, they are emptied into
sacks, and as soon as possible these
are transported to the houses and there
converted into essence. Picking begins
at early dawn, when the dew is on the
leaves, and is continued until 10 or II
a. M, or, when cloudy, all day long.
When the sun is shining brightly
labor is discontinued toward noon, and
recommended at 4 or g. and then work
is carried on as long as the piekers can
see. Labor is paid for by the pound.
The factories where the altar of rose
is made are primitive, but quite suffi-
cient for all practical purposes. They
are mere sheds; sometimes the walls
are of brick, more frequently of stone,
occasionally of plank On one side
stand the retorts in rows, copper alem-
bics about three feet in height, with q
brick furnace underneath. Each alem-
bic has a capacity of 110 liters, a liter
being a standard quart. but for a
charge only seVenty-five fters of wa
ter are used and ten kilos of roses, a
kilogram being % pounds, or about
seventy-five quarts of water to twen-
ty-two pounds of rose leaves.
The process of distillation is carried
on for an hour, when the flask which is
used to receive the distilled product