ROSEWATER 



At present there are very important rose plantations in 

 France,^ Bulgaria,^ and in the Fayoum in Egypt. In France 

 about ten or twelve thousand roses are grown on two and a 

 half acres. The season is from April to May. Women 

 gather from twenty to twenty-five pounds daily, and obtain 

 from twopence to threepence for two and a half pounds. 

 Each tree will give about a quarter of a pound of roses. 

 The petals are distilled to make rosewater. 



Some 12,000 people on the slopes of the Balkans, at 

 Kerzanlik and other places, entirely depend upon their rose 

 plantations. These are on light soil, fully exposed to the 

 sun, at over 1200 feet above the sea. It is interesting to 

 find that the pure mountain air strengthens the perfume, for 

 these Balkan roses are fifty per cent richer in essences than 

 those of lowland plants. 



Another interesting plant much cultivated in the Riviera 

 is the Gassier {Acacia famesicma). It is really a native of 

 India, but was introduced from the West Indies to Europe in 

 1656. Cannes, Grasse, Antibes, and Nice are the places 

 where it is most cultivated. Its flowers appear from July to 

 November. An old tree may yield as much as twelve to 

 twenty pounds of flowers, worth about five to six francs. But 

 116 pounds of flowers only yield about a pound of essence, 

 so that it is not surprising that this last is worth £60 the 

 pound. 



The cultivation is a little uncertain, for a temperature of 

 three or four degrees below the freezing-point kills the 

 trees. 



The pomades made from many of these flowers are pro- 



* 4,400,000 pounds of roses were produced in France in one year. 

 ' In 1899 Philippopolis produced 1800-2000 kilogrammes of otto of 

 roses, worth 700 to 800 francs the kilo. {Plutrm. Journ. Sept. 1st, 1900). 



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