THE FLOEAL WOULD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 275 



metal pan, and covered with water ; to the pan a dome-shaped lid is 

 fitted, terminating with a pipe, which is twisted cork-screw fashion, 

 and fixed in a bucket, with the end peeping out like a tap in a 

 barrel. The water in the still is made to boil, and having no other 

 exit, the steam must pass through the coiling pipe, which being 

 surrounded by cold water in the bucket, condenses the vapour 

 before it can arrive at the tap ; with the steam, the volatile oil or 

 perfume rises, and is liquefied at the same time. The liquids which 

 thus run over, on standing for a time, separate into two portions, 

 and are finally-divided with a funnel, having a stop-cock in the 

 narrow part of it. By this process the majority of the oils or 

 perfumes are procured. It so happens, however, that the finest 

 odours, the recherche, as the French say, cannot be procured by this 

 method. Then recourse is had to 



3. Maceration. — This operation is conducted thus : For what 

 is called pomade, a certain quantity of purified hog's lard and 

 mutton suet are put into a clean metal pan; this being melted, the 

 kind of flowers required for the odour wanted are carefully picked 

 and put into the liquid fat, and allowed to remain from twelve to 

 forty-eight hours. The fat has a particular affinity, or attraction, 

 for the oil of flowers, and thus, as it were, draws it out of them, and 

 becomes itself by their aid highly perfumed. The fat is strained 

 from the spent flowers, and fresh ones are added four or five times 

 over, till the pomade is of the required strength. For perfumed 

 oils the same operation is followed ; but in lieu of the lard and suet, 

 fine olive oil of Ben is used, and the same results are obtained. 

 These preparations are called Huiles Antiques, or commonly French 

 oils of such and such a flower. "When neither of the foregoing 

 processes give satisfactory results, the method of procedure 

 adopted is by 



4. Absorption. — The odours of some flowers are so delicate, or, 

 as the French call it, enfleuracje, that the heat required in the pre- 

 viously named process would greatly modify, if not entirely spoil 

 them. This process is, therefore, conducted cold, thus : Square 

 frames, about three inches deep, with a glass bottom, say two feet 

 wide and three feet long, are procured ; over the glass a layer of fat 

 (lard and suet) is spread about half an inch thick, with a kind of 

 plaster knife or spatula; into this the flower-buds are stuck and 

 rauged completely over it, and there left from twelve to seventy-two 

 hours. Some houses have got 2000 and 3000 such frames ; and as 

 they are filled they are piled one over the other ; the flowers are 

 changed so long as the plant continues in season, sometimes over a 

 time of two or three months. 



For oils of the same plants, coarse linen cloths are imbued with 

 the finest olive oil, and stretched upon a frame made of iron ; on 

 these the flowers are laid and suffered to remain a few days. This 

 operation is repeated several times, after which the cloths are sub- 

 jected to great pressure, to remove the now perfumed oil. 



As we cannot give any general rule for working, without mis- 

 leading the reader, we prefer explaining the process required for 

 each when we come to speak of the individual flower or phnt. 



September. 



