MAKING ATTAR OF ROSES

Evening Post, Volume CIX, Issue 39, 15 February 1930, Page 19

MAKING ATTAR OF ROSES

If there is one thing more than another that hurts the average woman vho has a garden full of rose' budiea that are covered with sweet-scented, coloury flowers, it is waste of the perfume which comes and goes with her roses (says -an English writer).

lwery iull-blown rose is loaded to the iuH with liquid perfume, v/Lich works its way out of the petals much aj water passes out of the foliage, state 3an o\ erseas writer..

Take a half-spent flower of a rose like Radiance or Ked Radiance, and roll it into a ball in; the. palms, of your hands. And when you have done. rolling the petals squeeze the wet ball with all your handpower. Then allow the drops of ■ sweet water to fall into a saucer or glass bow]. That simple'method 'of testing' out one rose .will convince you that too much perfume is being-allowed to blow away. Too many growers think that our roses aye not of the right kind- to turn to a- good account. That is not so.- Even the weakest of the tea-scented sorts carry a little load of treasure stuff that can be caught and put to good use by anyone who cares to follow one of the simple methods outlined below.

The old-day way of making pot pourri runs as follows:—Gather roses that are just blown. Flowers that are falling will do if you cannot spare better roses. Spread the petals on a sheet of paper, out of the draught, and leave until free from all moisture. Then find a wide-mouthed glass or crockery jar for which there is a lid, and place a layer of petals in the bottom of the jar, sprinkling with coarse salt after you have formed the petails with your fingers. Add layer after layer, and liberally sprinkle each layer until the jar is full.. Leave for a few days until a broth is formed, then incorporate thoroughly, and add more petals and more salt, mixing daily for a week, when fragrant gums and spices, such as benzoin, storas, cassia buds, cinnamon, eardamon, or vanilla bean can be added to the mixture. Mix again and leave for a few days; Drain off the liquid when the perfume pleases you.

; Another way of extracting the rose scents is practised by skilled chemists, who recommend their method as one by which all that" is good in the soul of the roses can be taken without much trouble.

The gathering and the drying is done as advised above. Lard is the medium used for separating the scent from the rose petals. The lard is melted and poured into shallow dishes or plates. Half an inch of lard in each plate will be sufficient. The petals are pressed into the lard until no more room is available. After one plate is filled take another, and continue" until you have used up all the lard and all the rose petals. Place the plates one on top of the other, providing something to prevent the weight from squeezing the material out of the plates nearest to the table.. When you have gathered all the petals you intend using scrape the mixture into crockery containers and pour on enough rectified spirit to cover the mass' The alcobolwill collect all the rose scent and leave the lard odoiirless. Bottle the result as home-made attar of roses. Hold the lard for another day, when violets, jonquils, tuberose, carnations, boronia, rosemary, or any other heavily-perfumed flowers are available. . .. ■.