Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1921-01-25
SOURCES OF PERFUMES
LuXuFieS for Which America Spends
Millions.
VEGETABLES FURNISH MOST SCENTS

garia as Field Crop-Gums and
Resins are Also important.
Milady America paid S4,972,541, dur
ing the last year for perfumes cos
metirs and toilet preparations, fact
which has led to confused speculation
by mere man as to what she did with
them.
The real romance and adventure in
the statement lies not so much IN the
uses to which these imports were put
as, where they came from-a story
which is related in the following bullc-
tin from the Washington, D. c.. head
quarters Of the National Geographic
Society:
"When you pay the apothecary Il
sum that seems like dollar Whit
for something that delights your
senses, or if you are especially fasti-
dious, have him compound the scent
that suits your personality, did you
ever stop to wonder where his precious
ingredients came from? The sunny
isles and lands along the MedlteTan-
can probably grew some of the hoWers'
others perhaps were plucked by dark
Moorish hands in Algeria, and mayhap
an animal in the brooding hills OF
western China gave its life TO-. furnish
one constituent Of the perfume.
"The vegetable kingdom is necessari-
ly the most fertile source of perfumes.
From it's flowers such as the rose and
iessamine, and from it's seeds, woods
and barks such as the spices and
sandalwood, even the most fastldious
connoisseur would be able to select
either some simple ordor OF a complex
bouquet. Nor are they for perfumes
alone, but for scenting soaps. cream,
pomades, and in making flavorings and
extracts.
Ophelia an "UnfaiIing Naturalist"
Rosemary, thyme, sweet basil, and
marjoram are found in great profusion
if Mediterranean countries, and here
the chemist can distill the whole plant
and not bother about picking the
flowers. Shakespeare, the unfailing
naturalist that he was, made no error
when he chose for Ophelia the flowers
she scattered.
THE old-fashiened lavender flowers
in which our grandmothers used TO
pack the household linen and their rich
old laces grew best in France ana
England. A temperamental flower 1t
might be called too, for unless the cli-
mate, soil, and altitude suit, 1t refuses
to breathe forth it's usual fragrance.
Fine grades OF the plants are grown
i'm the Drome region. France, at an ait-
tudc Of $500 feet, while the flowers
generally considered to have the most
agreeable fragrance come from the
Mitcham district Of England, where the
conditions Of soil and altitude are de-
cIdedly different from those in France
THE rose geranium, which has such
an exquisite odor is also grown ana
distilled in France, but Spain, Algiers
and the island of Reunion engage IN
the industry. Unlike the lavender,
however, the perfume Of the rose ger
anium comes from It's leaves and not
from the flowers.
Rose Crop Vies With Tobacco.
But the country that might well be
known by it's scent is Bulgaria, for us
rose crop is second only to its tobacco
Over 1880 acres Of land in the pro-
vinces Of Philippopolis and Stara "a
cora. are given over TO the growth OIL
roses from the petals OF which altar
of roses is distilled. In the Wonderlul
gardens at KaZanlik. karlovo. kllsoura
and Stalrs Zagora, the best OF the
flowers are grown. The fields arc ar
ranged much after the fashion Of the
vineyards Of France and Italy, and the
half open, dew-laden buds, which have
very few petals, are shipped off by dill
igent girls, boys and women in the
early mornings of May and June.
About four thousand pounds OF
roses are produced on an acre OF land'
but it takes about two hundred pounds
of petals t. produce an ounce OF OIL
for an altar which before the war cost
about $3.50 a pound.
"Roses are grGwn in other parts Oh
the Balkans, rs we'll as in Asiatic Tur-
key where they were introduced by
Ahmed Vcfk the noted Turkish
statesman and mon Of letters. in the
nineteenth century, and in India, Per-
sia the Fayum province in Egypt, ana
in France. The industry lately mas
been introduced into Germany.
Many of the countries of Europe
have for centuries successfully disti!!-
cd oil from such seeds as caraway'
anise, and fennel for favoring and
scenting purposes. and the citrus fruits
OF Italy and Sicily yield quantities OF
valuable oil. In fact so fragrant are
the flowers and shrubs of some OF the
islands of the Mediterranean that they
are called the Spice Islands OF Europe
as the Molucca Archipelago in the
Dutch East Indies are known as the
Spice Islands on account of the nut
mers. mace, and cloves that they pro-
ducc. Napoleon said that he would