342 



RECEEATIVE SCIENCE. 



lemon, bergamot, and orange. The amount 

 of essential oil procurable from these dif- 

 ferent flowers and plants varies considerably, 

 and it is remarkable that the most fragrant 

 do not always yield the largest quantity. 

 Thus, whilst 112 lbs. of lavender flowers 

 afford about thirty ounces of otto, the same 

 weight of rose leaves only furnish two drachms, 

 and of violets not more than half a drachm, 

 which accounts for the high price of some of 

 these products. Some idea may be formed 

 of the quantity of the various perfumes 

 consumed in this country by the fact of the 

 duty levied on their importation (including 

 that on the spirit used in manufacturing them 

 into essences) amounting annually to £40,000 

 — a large sum, it has been remarked, to expend 

 for perfuming Britannia's pocket-handker- 

 chief. Of this about £8000 is derived from 

 the favourite Eau de Cologne. 



The oil or otto of some of the more deli- 

 cately-scented flowers is so easily decomposed, 

 that the process of distillation mentioned 

 above cannot be employed for procuring 

 them, the heat of the boiling water destroying 

 their fragrance. Other methods are there- 

 fore resorted to, of which one is the infusion 

 of the flowers in warm alcohol, fresh quan- 

 tities being repeatedly used till the spirit 

 acquires a sufficiently powerful scent. Ano- 

 ther, and still more delicate process, called 

 " enfleurage," is founded on the facility with 

 which most oils and fatty substances absorb 

 the aroma of flowers, and is thus conducted : — 

 Square frames, about three inches deep and of 

 considerable size, are provided, each having a 

 glass bottom. On this is spread a layer of 

 purified fat, or lard, about a quarter of an 

 inch in thickness, on which the flowers are 

 thickly strewn, and the frames being placed 

 over each other so as to exclude the air, the 

 whole is left for some days, during which the 

 fat absorbs the volatile otto. The flowers are 

 renewed as long as the plants continue to 

 bloom, or until the pomade is sufficiently 

 fragrant. It is from these pomades (chiefly 



made in France) that some of our most deli- 

 cate perfumes are obtained. Being first cut 

 into small pieces, they are infused for some 

 time in highly rectified spirit, which gra- 

 dually extracts from them the otto they had 

 imbibed, and, being then poured off", consti- 

 tutes the volatile and fragrant liquid known 

 as an essence of the flower originally used. 

 The fatty substance, which still retains some 

 portion of the fragrant matter, is then care- 

 fully melted, and forms a pomade fit for 

 applying to the hair. 



Although, in general, the odours of which 

 we have spoken reside in the flowers, yet it 

 must be observed that in many plants the 

 leaves are nearly as fragrant, and in some 

 (the sweet-briar, for instance) even more so ; 

 whilst in other cases it is the roots, fruit, or 

 seeds in which the odoriferous principle is 

 found. In all cases similar means of ex- 

 traction are employed, varied, of course, 

 according to the skill of the operator. It is 

 worthy of remark that the wall-flower, of 

 which the scent is generally agreeable, has 

 not yet been (so far as we know) subjected 

 to any of these processes for the extraction 

 of its fragrant principle.* 



It is a curious fact, that just as the mix- 

 ture of two colours will produce a new one, so 

 the combination, in due proportion, of two or 

 more of these ottos will produce a new odour. 

 An instance of this effect is found in the pre- 

 sent well-known perfume called Eondeletia, 

 which, instead of being derived from the 

 "West Indian plant of that name, is formed 

 by a mixture of the ottos of lavender and of 

 cloves, in which neither of them predominates 

 so as to be distinguishable. In making this 

 and other similar mixtures, the relative power 

 of each otto must be carefully observed, and 

 by experiments of this kind we find that 

 patchouli, lavender, neroli, and verbena are the 

 most potent of vegetable odours, and violet, 

 tuberose, and jasmine the most delicate. 



* A scent called " Wall-flower " is frequently 

 advertised by perfumers. — Ed. 



