FLORICULTURE 495 



The rose, lavender, and rose geranium, although possessing ex- 

 ceedingly fragrant volatile oils, have received only trifling consider- 

 ation as regards cultivation for the aroma. 



It is not unlikely that certain sections of the United States are 

 adapted to the growth of the Bulgarian rose, which produces the rose 

 oil of commerce. In order to locate these desirable regions, practical 

 tests would be required, attention being paid to the quality of the per- 

 fume obtained and also to the labor required in the gathering of the 

 rose petals. Besides the usual variety of rose used for perfume culti- 

 vation, the Rosa damascena, there are a number of other species 

 which have become naturalized in this country and which possess 

 fragrance of exceedingly high quality, besides being prolific bearers. 



Experiments in connection with the growing of roses for per- 

 fumery purposes are worthy of attention in some of the southern por- 

 tions of the United States where the conditions of climate are espe- 

 cially favorable and where, since the petals must be plucked by hand 

 for distillation, labor would be sufficiently cheap to insure a certain 

 degree of success. 



Lavender (Layandula vera), now grown extensively in the semi- 

 mountainous districts of France and in England for the volatile oil, 

 is no less capable of growth on the soils of this country than other 

 plants which are at present grown profitably. The regions of growth 

 in France, Italy, and England are not entirely dissimilar and do not 

 possess any more suitable climatic and soil conditions than might be 

 supplied in some sections of the United States. In this case experi- 

 ments would also be necessary to locate desirable regions, but the 

 labor factor would be minimized considerably owing to the fact that 

 the entire tops of the plants are distilled. Owing to the little labor 

 required in connection with lavender, enterprise in this matter should 

 not be lacking. 



The rose geranium (Pelargonium odoratissimum} , a plant with 

 an exquisite odor, grown and distilled in France, Spain, Algiers, and 

 the island of Reunion, deserves some consideration with regard to 

 cultivation, inasmuch as the oil distilled from the plant is of such 

 a nature as to make it almost indispensable in the perfumery indus- 

 try. Unlike that of lavender, the odor of the rose geranium resides in 

 the leaves, the flowers being almost odorless. Experiments in a pre- 

 liminary way are now being carried on to determine the quality of 

 the oil capable of being distilled from this plant. As in the case of 

 the rose and lavender, the most suitable location can be learned only 

 by a system of tests in localities with different climatic and soil 

 conditions. 



Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) , thyme (Thymus yulgaris), 

 sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum), summer savory (Satureja horten- 

 sis), and sweet marjoram (Origanum marjorana), besides others of 

 this type originating in Mediterranean countries and yielding oils 

 of excellent fragrance for both the perfumers and the toilet-prepara- 

 tion manufacturers, can by proper attention and perseverance no 

 doubt be produced advantageously. A factor of considerable import 

 in the growth and distillation of these plants is that whole fresh 



