The Wichita daily eagle., 1904-03-11
MAKING OF PERFUMES,

Nose of our perfumes we naturally
think come from India and Bulgaria but
the various oils and ingredients are OBJ
tanned from all parts of the world. From
the mountain ranges of Thibet. Russia
and India come musk. which is such an
important component part of most per-
fumes. Ambergris is found floating in the
water off the coast of China and Japan.
Southern France and Bulgaria furnish us
with rose oil, and from Southern Europe
come such products as are derived from
the orange and lemon. England produces
lavendar in the greatest perfection, and
North America gives castor fibre. which
is a substitute for musk and is used in
the cheaper perfumes.
The flower garden Of the word which
is that part of France situated south of
the maritime range of the Alps, produces
Il large portion of that oil which is so
essential TO the making of perfumes
altar of rose. As no rain falls here from
March till September the climate is ad-
mirably adapted to the industry For
miles and miles nothing can be seen ex-
sept vista of flower gardens. That the
flower industry is an old one is provA-1 by
the fact that in the village of Grasse one
firm has had factory for the manufac-
ture of perfumes since 1868 Women as
well as men, work on the flower farms
which are not owned by the big manu-
factories but by small farmers who sell
the flowers by the pound to the manu-
facturers.
About 700 plants are required to each
acre in the rose gardens and these yield
about $4,000 pounds of roses. The gar
dens require a sunny slope and much ir-
rigation. The bushes are cut down to
the ground each year and the plants at
tain an enormous age. The flowers are
picked each morning while the dew is on
them. because it is then that they retain
their perfume. They are taken to the
factories in great baskets. where they are
dumped into big copper stills which hold
half barrel of water each. Then comes
the disti'ling process which results in
rose water. The rose water is itself dis
TILED and on top OF the fluid which arises
from this process float oily drops These
are very precious for they are the es-
sent!al oil of the rose which is known
as altar of rose.
The violet farms also require constant
irrigation. The plants are grown IN the
fields where the orange and lemon trees
are planted. as the shade Of the trees is
beneficial to the growth OF the flowers
The violets are planted in rows so that
they can be gathered without treadiag
upon them
But the growth and gathering OF the
flowers is but the FIRST step in the making
OF perfumes After the flowers have been
grown and gathered a pomade Is made by
allowing the flowers 10 lie in contact with
thin layer Of pure fat made by mixing
suita bic proportions Of lard and sue; after
they have been carefully purided. n some
cases the fat is melted and the flowers
dipped into IT, But tuberoses and jessa-
mine are too delicate for this treatment.
and il is necessary 10 use the cold fat in
order To get the best results.
The pomades made in this way are then
melted carefully and run into tins holding
from ten 70 eleven pounds and in this
form they are sent al over tho world
When received by the manufacturing ner-
fumers they arc removed from the tins
and washed" with deodorized alcohol.
which takes up the odoriferous substances
Of the fiowers.-N. Y. Herald