DESCRIPTIVE LIST OF FLOWERING SHRUBS. 465 



" This Queen of the garden loses not its diadem in the 

 perfuming world. The oil of roses, or, as it is commonly 

 called, the otto or attar of roses, is abstracted by various 

 processes from the Cabbage Rose in Turkey, Persia and 

 India ; the finest is imported from Ghazepore, in the latter 

 country. For obtaining it, the procurers at each place 

 have their own mode of operation ; the best method, how- 

 ever, is to stratify the flowers with a seed containing a 

 fat-oil; they will absorb the essential oil of roses, and 

 swell a good deal if the flowers are changed repeatedly. 

 They are then pressed, and the product allowed to stand 

 for a time ; the otto rises to the surface, and is finally puri- 

 fied by distillation. Pure otto of roses, from its cloying 

 sweetness, has not many admirers ; it is, moreover, likely 

 to produce headache and vertigo in this state ; when di- 

 luted, however, there is nothing to equal it in odor, espe- 

 cially if mixed in soap, to form rose soap, or in the pure 

 spirit form, '•Esprit de Hose.'* The former preparation 

 not allowing the perfume to evaporate very fast, we are 

 not so readily surfeited with the smell as in the latter. 

 The finest preparation of Rose as an odor, is made at 

 Grasse, in France ; here the flower is not treated for the 

 otto, but simi^ly by maceration in fat, as mentioned with 

 other flowers. 



" The Rose Pomade, thus made, if digested in alcohol, 

 yields Esprit de Rose of the first order, very superior to 

 that which is made by the addition of otto to spirit. It is 

 difficult to account for this difi'erence, but it is sufficiently 

 characteristic to form a distinct odor. It is never sold by 

 the perfumer ; he reserves this to form part of his recher- 

 che bouquets. Roses are cultivated to a large extent in 

 England, near Mitcham, in Surrey, for perfumers' use, to 

 make rose-water ; the odor of the English flower is not 

 strong enough to use for any other purpose. Though the 

 dried rose-leaves are used for scent-bags, they retain but 

 20* 



