Pueblo chieftain., 1921-10-10
BY FREDERIC ]. HAsKIN

Buffalo, n. Y, Oct. THE perfumes
modern women use are more delicate
products of the pcrfumcr's art than the
famous vials OF scent treasured as
priceless by Catherine di Mcdici and
other medical royaltics-so VIC are told
by tho head chemist OF perfume lab
| oratory here.
Queen GATHERINGS official pcrfumer
held many secrets OF a most secret
| business. but he could learn things
from modern pcrfumcrs. IL the art was
not still secret and mysterious ono.
Many OF the laboratories in which
perfumes are concocted admit no visit
ors. bu4 n big factory TO family"
plant here agreed TO show the reporter
thru Its perfume section.
The head chemist OF the department
led the way thru rooms fragrant with
scents where huge rolling tanks hold
the essences Pipes run along tho
ceiling and end In spigots labeled rose.
hyacinth. Jasmine. and SO on. To mix
n perfume for bottling, u tank Is rolled
up and the desired spigots are turned
on.
But perfume making is not 80 easy
as this might lead you to think. Other
processes first refine the natural cs-
scnces. and long before quantities OF
any perfume can be mixed. the for
mula must be painstakingly evolved
in tho laboratory by a master per-
fumor. This is where the most i'm
portant secrets OF the business arc
guarded. a formula for IA successful
or promising perfume is as valuable as
state paper. II other firms should
learn the ingredients and proportions
OF the formula, the work of many lab
oratry experiments necessary to pro-
ducc 1t would be loss.
Tho master pcrfumcr fs an artist
often "A tcmpcramcntni one. He sits
among his vials, test tubes. and bits
Of cotton soaked in mixtures OF scent,
always mixing and shifting for the elu-
sivc combination that win be now and
at the same time appealing in some
way-riggcstivc OF fresh summer
fields. or tho subtle. languorous orient.
or OF tho old-fashioncd garden.
When he gets it-and he may work
for months with some troublesome yet
fascinating problcm-hc feels that he
has given the world work OF art.
over here tho master perfumcr gets
less recognition than he does in Eu
rope. In Paris, his productions bear
his name and he is regarded with the
same respect as the creators OF beau
tiful clothes. In this country the man
ufacturing firm takes tho limelight.
The master perfumcr may be no less
II master. but he remains unknown.
THE RAW MATERIALS
In ono corner of the perfume depart
mcnt of this plant. is the steel door
of vault. Tho head chemist swung
the heavy door and stepped into n
fairly large room. Here, he explained
are stored a quarter OF n million dol
lars worth of tho imported ingredients
which go to make fine perfumes.
shelves and tables arc loaded with
large glass bottles, cans with Chinese
labels, forcien-looking kettles and can
isters. and great stone crooks.
Turning on the lights. the chemist
went the rounds of the shelves, show
ing how tho different natural cssences
look when they are shipped from the
fori1n manufacturers before they arc
refined. and also allowing tho visitor the
interesting II not always dclcctablc
privilege of smelling tho heavily con-
centratcd odors.
Violet. for example. when imported
from routhern France, is n grecnish,
lardlike mass. TEo essence has been
extracted overseas by pouring large
quantities of petals INTO ~ mixture OF
melted hcef auct and purified lard.
This Ia stirred with u wooden paddle
and allowed to stand s'voral days un-
til tho fat has absorbed tho flowers