THE ODOUR OF ROSE. 29 
gutter suspended over the condenser. There is a hole at the hot- 
tom of the condensing tub, into which an upright pipe is fixed ; 
the other end of the pipe reaches nearly to the top of the tub. 
This allows for the overflow of the hot water, which runs away in 
a trench in the floor of the building. 10 kilogrammes of flowers, 
just as they are gathered, including their green parts, are put into 
the body of the still, with 75 litres of water. The separate parts 
of the still are then adjusted together, and the joints luted with 
strips of cotton rags moistened with wet clay. A brisk fire is first 
made up and then allowed gradually to moderate. The operation 
lasts about an hour anda half, and the fire is drawn when 10 litres 
of liquid have distilled over. This has been received in two flasks 
of 5 litres each, and placed on a shelf to cool. The parts of the 
still are then disconnected; the spent petals are separated on an 
osier sieve, and the dirty hot water is put back in the still to do 
duty for a fresh charge of flower, so economising fuel. The oper- 
ation is repeated all day and sometimes all night, as long as there 
are flowers to be distilled. Petals kept twenty-four hours from the 
time of gathering lose much of their fragrance and afford an unsatis- 
factory yield, but yet they are sometimes allowed to accumulate in 
large quantities, and while waiting for the still to be vacant to 
receive them are spread out on the ground in cool shady places, 
or in low-built sheds constructed for the purpose. 
The two flasks of rose-water above-mentioned contain all the 
otto obtainable from the 10 kilos of flowers, yet some distillers 
continue the operation until they have obtained three flasks of 
distillate, making 15 litres in all. The result is not improved in 
quality, but it contains more stereoptene, and so, by reason of its 
higher congealing-point, permits of the otto bemg adulterated with 
a larger quantity of “geranium oil”? (Andropogon Schenanthus, L.) 
without the fraud being detected. When 40 litres, or 8 flasks, 
of rose-water have been collected they are redistilled together. 
The distillation is conducted as before, but only 5 litres of distillate 
are collected ; the water remaining in the still being reserved for 
fresh flowers. The flasks which receive the first distiliate are 
bell-shaped, with short necks, A, fig. 1. The flask which receives 
the product of the second distillation is globe-shaped, with a long 
neck, like a laboratory boiling-flask, B, measuring 40 centimetres 
in height by 20 centimetres diameter, made in thin Hungarian 
glass. Its capacity is also 5 litres. The second distillate, which 
