The Newark journal., 1903-12-18
GREAT FIELDS OF LAVENDER.
Growing old-Fashioned Scent Has Be
come a Large Industry.

to lavender water as a perfume
is increasing rather than falling
off, and in consequence the cult
walton of the fragrant plant from
which it is distilled is becoming
more. and more general through
out the country This delicate
scent was in high favor with the
women Of the English and French
courts hundreds of years ago, but,
oddly enough, its present popular
ity with the fashionable world
dates from the time, not great
while back, when Queen Victoria.
having become acquainted with
lavender water under rather pic
turesque circumstances, fell III
love with it, says an exchange.
4 century ago the perfume was
distilled from lavender blossoms,
chiefly by the titled ladies them
selves, who grew it in their gar
dens and distilled the oil in small
quantities during the autumn
months Prepared in this way, 1t
was, naturally, very rare and eX-
pensiye, and as chemically manu-.
featured scents came to be placed
upon the market the use of Law
ender water almost died out eX.
cept among the old-fashfoned
country people.
About L years ago, however, a
Miss Sproules, living in the pic
turesque Surrey village of Carshal-
ton, about Il miles from London,
conceived the idea of sending as
a present to Queen Victoria bot
tie of home distilled lavender wa
ter. The queen accepted the gift
and was so delighted with the
perfume that she commanded Miss
Sproules to supply her constantly
with the scent. OF course this
caused a great demand for layen-
der water TO arise amongst the
society ladies and the perfume be-
came very fashionable.
ORDERS, poured in upon Miss
Sproules, and her modest garden
soon became inadequate to meet
the demand for the purple layen-
der blossoms, SO she took a ten
acre field, planted it with lavender
and went into the business on a
large scale. So great has this in
dustry grown that in the neighbor-
heed CT Nit cham and Garshaitou
over 600 acres are devoted to Law
ender growing, one field alone con
tanning 90 acres of fragrance.
Lavender is planted in clumps
yard apart and must grow three
years before it flowers. Its flower
is purple and it grows as tall as
wheat. 1t is reaped by harvest
ers armed with sickles and the
Towering stalks are thrown into
great copper stills and boiled for
several hours. This causes a vol
atile oil TO arise which is collected
in a cool chamber and afterwards
refined. Essential oil Of lavender
is worth about SIS an ounce, near
ly its weight in gold, and one drop
is sufficient to make an eight
ounce bottle of perfume.
The women who go about Lon
don's streets selling lavender just
as it comes from the field are one
of the most picturesque of the
city's street sights. As long as
the season lasts these women and
girls are at the big markets bright
and early for their days supply
and before the morning is far ad-
vanced their peculiar chanting
cry sounds through the residence
districts. Two cents buys a gen
erous bunch, which American Wis
itors often buy to scatter through
their baggage just before sailing
for home so that when they come
out of the hold at New York
their contents will be saturated
with the delightful fragrance.
ro~.or4 r.. :. c:A,s