FLOWERS AND THE PERFUME INDUSTRY.

Press, Volume XLVIII, Issue 7777, 3 February 1891, Page 6

FLOWERS AND THE PERFUME INDUSTRY.

M. Thomas Grimm describee, In iv Petit Journal, the method by which In th districts of Cannes and Grasse, enormnn! quantities of perfumes are annually m*A. from the flowers grown in those aS bourhoods. He estimates that eoinethn.. like 62,000 acres are given up to 6heTj3 of flowers between the right bank nf «r Var and the chain of the Estirel. At 2f of the largest perfume factories of GraSi M. Grimm found that the three priXfl operations in the making of perffi were the preservation of the odour of tS flowers by distillation, by enfleuruas *«a by exhaustion. The last-named Droa*. which is applied chiefly to Roses, isY**! haps the most important. It consistaVS submitting the petals of the flower* totS action of heat lv broad deep pans heatfS by steam, and filled with amixture otkH and beef fat. When the Roso has yieMpS up the whole of its essence, the contend of the vessel are placed in horaMan sieves, and the kind of pomade whief runs out under pressure is again nlacel in the receptacle with fresh Rose petak This operation is three or repeated, in order that the fat may 5 thoroughly saturated with perfume. Tk* resultaut is not sold in this condition aj fierfume, since it is far too strong-smelline tis treated as a kind of " stock," ttm which most of the perfume is afterward extracted by means of alcohol, and thi residual is used as a basis for pomade m for toilet soaps, according to the degreed aroma that may remain. The distillation of flowers ia atli conducted by aid of the time-honored machine called the "Florentine Rβ. ceptacle." This apparatus collects uotonb the water distilled from the flowers double, triple, or quadruple, according t<l the number of distillations, but alsolfej essential oil, which la the very quint! essence o£ the perfume. Ton thousand kilogrammes of fresh Rose leaves will provide only one kilogramme (21b.) of thti essence ; but only half that quantity <& Orange-flower leaves U required to make a kilogramme of essence. Thereareeome flowers which will not yield up thsb essence to what is called the hot inethodet manipulation. Among them are the Violet Mignonette, Jessamine, and Heliotrope! which have to be treated by a very delicate process; the potato art brought iuto contract with wool eattf. rated with olive oil, and theu the per. fumed oil is very carefully exprewi Nearly every operation connected with the making of perfumes requires to be performed very rapidly, since the value of the product depends in great measure upon the . perfect freshiiess of ths materials. The flowers are pluoaed by women shortly before dawn, are immediately aud piled up In gre«| heaps in tho workrooms, which theia« selves need to be very carefully chosea, since they must be spacious, well airecL and Rhielded from direct iiunlight. jhsi which M. Griintn visited satisfied thea conditions admirably, being the crypt d an ancient Capuchin monastery. r Such is the rapidity with which thi work has to be done, that if all the flowers used in tho making of perfume! came to perfection at the same time, ft would be impossible to accomplish It Happily, that is not the case. The sa&sos begins with the Violets, on January 15, aal they are gathered until April 15. The Jonquils flower in February and March. Tha crops of Orange flowers and Roses are the moat important of all; this harvest begins oa April 20, and ends on May ,31. Mig nonette, is gathered from Kay IS to tte end of June. The Jasmine, and ths Tuberose, are gathered from July 28 U October 10. Then names the C&ssift, wUh its concentrated, penetrating, sad almost violent perfume, which begins to 3owe? in October, and flnUhea Rt the moment when the Roses begin. No raentioa has been made of Lavender and Eostsmary, Because, although they are cultivated ta perhaps a greater extent than any othat •flowers, they are chiefly treated througar out the South of France by nomadic die. tilleries, which move about from cantoi to canton.