El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1910-12-31
RENE BACHE's BUDGET
GROWING PERFUME PLANTS
GOVERNMENT Is EXPERIMENTING WITH NEW
ONES OF NATIVE ORIGIN.
Gany of Our Wild Plants Promise Well Producers of
Perfumes Though Never Utilized Hitherto Pros
pect of Making Altar of Roses in the
South-Oil of Geranium
and Citrus Oils.

XVI ASHINGTON, d. c., Dec. 81
NV The culture of perfumery
plants is being tried by the
partment of agriculture on its expert
entail farm at Arlington, across the
btomac from the city of Washington
e idea in view being not only to as
rtain how successfully the well rec
snized species, such as the geranium
bid Lavender, can be grown in this
untry, but also to find out how far
may be practicable to utilize va
ous native wild plants as producers
perfumes.
1t is believed that not few of our
tive wild plants would yield perfumes
high commercial value, If cultivated.
the present time, unfortunately our
htput of volatile oils useful for such
urposes is surprisingly small Indeed.
At production of such oils for any
nd of employment is restricted al
psf wholly to spearmint and pepper
int, which are grown and distilled
considerable scaIe-the latter
niefly IN MichiEan-
Many Fragrant wild Plants.
Hosts of wild aromatic plants are
ound growing in all sections of the
country, and many of them possess
Exceedingly fine fra GRANGE, while many,
bn the other hand, have odors less at
ractive but suggestive Of usefulness
n most cases these odorous plants are
capable of producing oils Of value not
'bnly in the perfumery trade but also
in the arts and for medicinal purposes.
ut is suggested by the department of
agriculture that a systematic canvass
should be made of the flora of the
United States, with a view to picking
but wild plants that possess an aroma
(which plants may thereupon be. sub
bected to experimental distilation- In
this way many new and important vo-
Battle oils would doubtless be discov-
bred.
Bulgarian Rose In America.
Discussing this subject in a special
bulletin soon to be issued, the depart
|ment says that certain sections of the
united States seem well adapted to the
growth of the Bulgarian rose, which
produces (by distiiation) the rose oil,
for altar of roses" of commerce. Tt
|is further believed by the experts that
|the culture Of other roses useful for
perfumery purposes might be success
fully pursued in some portions of the
south. where conditions of climate are
specially favorable. Labor in that part
Eof the country is Cheap point of i'm
|portance il this connection. inasmuch
|es the petals gathered for distilation
must be piucked by hand.
Lavender, now grown extensively in
the semf-Qaountainous districts of
France, and in England also. for its oil,
might be cultivated with equal advan
|tage in our own country. Likewise the
rose geranium, a plant of exquisite
odor. grown and distilled IN France,
Spain and Aigiers. It's volatile oil. al
|most Indispensable in the perfumery in
|dustry. resides in the leaves, its flow
II
lin the distilation of this plant are al
ready being made by the department of
IL agriculture.
The department. is of opinion that
rosemary, thyme. sweet basil. summer
savory and sweet marjoram. as well as
bther plants of similar character ma
hive to Mediterranean countries, and
yielding oils Of excellent fragrance for
berfumers and makers of toilet prep
krations. could. with proper care and
perseverance, be produced to advantage
IA the United States
DistiIIing Oil From Seeds.
The distilation of oils from such
Deeds as caraway. ainse, fenne1 and cor
lander, which are so universally used
for flavoring and seeming. purposes,
has been carried on successfully in
Fouthern Europe for q great many
gears. These seeds have been intro
Euced into the United States, and grown
In small quantities. principally for
household use. 1t would be an easy
matter TO produce them CT q more ex-
Eensive scale for the distilation of their
Fragrant oils-especially in the, north
kentral states. where climate and soil
kre suitable. The seeds are coarse1y
ground before being distilled by steam.
Small quantities of citrus oils are
produced in California from orange and
lemon peels. but the industry has OBJ