PERFUMERY 



PERGAMUS 



47 



infusion of the flowers in oil or melted fat. For 

 this end purified fat is melted in a bain marie, or 

 warm water bath, and the fresh blossoms are 

 infused in it for several hours. Fresh flowers being 

 procured, the spent blossoms are strained away, 

 and new flowers added repeatedly, so long as 

 they can be procured. Oil does not require to 

 l>e wanned, but improved results are obtained 

 when it is slightly heated. 



Jasmine and tuberose produce best perfumed 

 grease by enfleurage, but rose, orange, and acacia 

 give more satisfactory products by maceration ; 

 while violet and jonquil grease is best obtained by 

 the joint processes enfleurage followed by macera- 

 tion. In the place of glass the space is filled with a 

 wire-net on which is laid &molteton, or thick cotton 

 fabric moleskin, soaked with oil; on this the 

 (lowers are laid, just as with solid grease. In due 

 time that is, after repeated changing of the flowers 

 the oil becomes fragrant, and it is then pressed 

 out of the moleskin cloth. Uil of jasmine, tube- 

 rose, &c. are prepared in this way. In order now 

 to obtain the perfume of these flowers in the form 

 used for scenting handkerchiefs, we have only to 

 infuse the scented fat or oil, made by any of the 

 alxjve methods, in strong alcohol. 



In extracting the odour from solid fat it has to 

 be chopped up as line as suet is chopped, put into 

 tin- -i>irit, and left to infuse for about a month. 

 In the case of scented oil it has to be repeatedly 

 agitated with the spirit. The result is that the 

 spirit extracts all tfie odour, becoming itself 'per- 

 fume,' while the grease again liecomes odourless ; 

 thus is procured the essence of jasmine, essence of 

 orange-flowers, essence of violets, and others 

 Already named, rose, tuberose, acacia, and jonquil. 

 It is right to mention that the reason for producing 

 a pomade as these scented fats are technically 

 termed of orange-flowers is that the odour of the 

 '--I'litial oil obtained by the distillation of orange- 

 blossoms with water has not, in the least degree, 

 tin- udonr of the orange-blossoms from which it is 

 obtained. The otto in fact undergoes a chemical 

 change, and is no longer orange so tar as odour is 

 concerned. It is called Neroli, and is valued at 

 h DIM 16 to 20 the Ib. weight, the variation 

 depending upon the crop, which is of course greatly 

 influenced by the season. The same remarks apply, 

 though in a less marked degree, to rose. 



Some idea of the magnitude of the flower in- 

 dustry may be gained from the following summary 

 showing the weight of these particular flowers grown 

 in the south of France in 1889 : orange-blossoms, 

 1860 tons ; roses, 930 ; violets, 147 ; jasmine, 147 ; 

 tuberose, 74 ; cassia, 30 ; jonquil, 15. The seat of 

 the rose industry for the production of otto of roses 

 is Bulgaria, more especially the cantons of Kezan- 

 lik and Karlova. Here no less than 5660 Ib. were 

 produced in 1889 at an average value of say 20s. 

 per oz. 



Perfumes of Animal Origin. Only four of these 

 are used in perfumery viz. Musk (q.v. ), Amber- 

 gris (q.v.), Civet (q.v.), and Castor (q.v.). The 

 aroma of musk freely imparts odour to every 

 IxMly with which it is in contact. Its power 

 to impart odour is such that polished steel will 

 liecome fragrant of it if the metal lie shut in a 

 box where there is musk, contact not lieing neces- 

 sary. In perfumery manufacture tincture of musk is 

 mixed with other odorous bodies to give perman- 

 ence to the more evanescent |>erfumt's or l>ouquets, 

 ill" musk acting to them almost as a mordant does 

 to a dyestnfT. The usual statement as to the 

 length of time that musk continues to give out 

 ixloiir is exaggerated. If fine musk be spread in 

 thin layers upon any surface, and fully exposed to 

 a changing current of air, all fragrance, it is said, 

 will IK; gone in from six to twelve months. The 



finest musk, that which indeed is only really useful 

 in perfumery, is distinguished as Tonquin musk, 

 the average price of winch is about 90s. per oz. 



Civet is exceedingly potent as an odour, and 

 when pure, and smelled at in the bulk of an ounce 

 or so, is utterly insupportable from its nauseous- 

 ness ; in this respect it exceeds musk. When, 

 however, civet is diluted so as to afford but minute 

 quantities to the olfactories, then its sweet perfume 

 is generally admitted ; the fragrant principle is the 

 s;ime as that breathed by the beautiful narcissus. 

 Civet is extensively used duly attenuated in per- 

 fumery. Its powerful and lasting odour enables it 

 to l>e used in some soaps, and especially in sachets. 

 It is one of the perfumes of ' Spanish Leather,' or 

 Peau d'Espagne ; the first gloves used in England 

 were scented with it. Several thousand ounces are 

 annually imported, the average price of which is 

 about 9s. per oz. 



Castor is in our day said to be almost obsolete as 

 a perfume, but this is not so ; for although it cannot 

 be largely used in any given perfume on account 

 of the almost blackness of its tincture, still when 

 properly diluted it is extensively employed. Its 

 perfume, when old especially, is exceedingly pleas- 

 ant, and its fixing power is at least equal to that 

 of musk. About 1500 Ib. are annually imported, 

 which fetch on the market about 36s. per Ib. 



Of late years the progress of scientific chemistry 

 has led to the production of numerous odoriferous 

 substances, some identical with the active odor- 

 iferous principles of plants. Among them may be 

 mentioned vanillin, the principle of vanilla ( methyl 

 protocatechnic aldehyde); coumarin, of Tonfjuin 

 liean (coumaric anhydride), and many derivatives 

 of phenol ; but the majority of this class of bodies 

 are more used in confectionery for flavouring than 

 in perfumery. The artificial musk of L. Bauer is a 

 delightful perfume, and has many applications in 

 perfnmeiy ; but it differs widely in odour from true 

 musk. 



The perfumes or bouquets of the shops are really 

 mixtures of some or several of the primitive odours 

 of the two above-mentioned groups. An example 

 or two will illustrate this. ' Jockey Club Bouquet ' 

 is thus compounded : 2 gal. extract of orris ; .', 

 gal. each of cassia, rose, and tuberose pomades ; 

 ^ gal. civet; J gal. musk ; 1J gal. spirits of wine ; 

 8 oz. bergamot otto ; 1 J oz. rose. ' White Rose : ' 

 2 pints extract rose pomade ; 1 pint each cassia and 

 jasmine; 1$ pint spirits of wine; J oz. rose otto; 

 1 linn, patchouli otto. It is obvious that the 

 possible variety is infinite, since there are some 

 sixty or more primitive odoriferous substances. 



See the Bate Industry of Bulgaria, by Christo Christoff, 

 Kezanlik ( trans, by C. H. Piesse ) ; and the 5th edition if 

 Piesse's Art of Perfumery (Lond. 1891). 



Perganius, or PERGAMUM, anciently a city of 

 Mysia in Asia Minor, on the river Caicus, 15 miles 

 from its mouth. According to tradition, the place 

 was founded by Greeks from Arcadia. It first 

 acquired prominence when Lysimachus, one of 

 Alexander's generals, chose it as a stronghold in 

 which to keep his treasures. Under Phileta'rus, 

 his eunuch, whom he appointed guardian of his 

 treasures, it became the capital of a state, 283 B.C. 

 His successor, Eumenes I., maintained its inde- 

 pendence against the Seleucids, although the title 

 of king was first assumed by Attains I., who 

 reigned from 241 to 197 B.C., and defeated the 

 Gauls in a great battle. He intimately allied him- 

 self with the Romans against Philip of Macedon, 

 and this alliance subsisted throughout succeeding 

 reigns, during which the kingdom continued to in- 

 crease in extent and importance. Attains III., 

 surnamed Philometer, who died in 133 B.C., left it 

 to the Romans, and under them it was one of the 

 chief cities of Asia Minor. The native kings 1m d 



