Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-07-08
MAKING PERFUMES.
Method Of Extracting odors From
Flowers in France.

From Public Opinion.
In the southern part of France, which
borders on the Mediterranean and extends
between the Alps and the Rhone, the cui-
ture OF flowers has developed into a great
Industry for the manufacture of perfumes.
I'm the department of the Alpes- Maritimes
the perfumery industry has probably made
created strides than in any other portion
Of France says M. Georges Cages in the
Monde Modern Of Paris. Here are more
| than sixty factories the total product OF
which is valued at more than $4,OOO,OOO per
year. and over 500 persons are constantly
employed, without counting the multitude
Of harvest hands. The more important har-
vests are those Of the rose, 4OooOOo POUNDS !;
let, 10000 pounds; jasmine, 1,HUOoO
pounds the tuberose, 100000 pounds; the
geranium 10000 pounds, and the cassla,
10000 pounds. II We consider the fact that
all Of these flowers are weighed without
their stems it is evident that the quantity
is enormous. and this fact will be still bet
ter appreciated when we say that In order
than thousand flowers are required, while
thousand punches of violets each with q
diameter Of more than foot furnish only
forty pounds Of flowers"
Flowers all go through a preliminary
treatment of being placed in a cold rOom
and plants such as lavender, thyme. spike
mint, roots such as orris, fruits and woods
are passed through cutting and macerating
machines. After this has been done the
perfume is extracted, the principal methods
being distillation, maceration, enfieurage
and by the use of dissolvents. Distilation
Is only employed when the perfume Is not
injured by heat or steam. In this case the
flowers and water are put in a great alem-
bic and heated. After the water begins to
boil 1t discrepancies the vegetable cells con-
tanning the perfume, and this Is carried by
the steam through the worm and condensed
There is thus obtained mixture Of water
and perfume, and 1t is merely necessary
now to separate the two. The process OF
diStillation, however, has the great disad-
vantage of frequently altering the perfumes
obtained and, therefore when it is desired
TO obtain finer extracts recourse must be
had to other methods,
For maceratiOn the flowers are thrown
Into mass of fat melted and raised to
temperature of sixty-five degrees centigrade
ana completely submerged after several
hours the perfume being Incorporated with
the rat. The mass is then strained to get
rid of the flowers after which the latter
are soaked in boiling water and compressed
ALPHABETICALLY. In this way all of the per-
rune is extracted In the entuerage
method frames used the bottoms of
which are glass. The frames are placed
one above the other, small space being left
between the glass plates. The fatty sub
stance is spread on the glass and the flow
ers are placed in direct contact with the
lat. AT the end of a certain time, which
varies with the flowers, the perfume is abb
sorbed by the fat, after which the flowers
sired strength.
A third method is that of volatile dissol-
vents In general the dissolvent employed
is an ether of refined petroleum. The APP
paratuses used are of different form but
they must all contain an extractor into
which the flowers are placed cold with the
olssoivent, decaDter where the water con-
tanned IN the flowers is separated from the
mixture distilling alembic which forces
the dlssovent back through the flowers
and a certain number of reservoirs in which
the dlssolvent Is kept in pure state or
charged with perfume The dissolyent after
being charged with the perfume evaporates
ana leaves behind the essential oil This
method Is by far the best In the single
department of the Alpes -Maritimes the an
nual production is 100000 pounds of pomade
ana 4,co,OO quarts of extracts.