496 HORTICULTURE, FORESTRY, FLORICULTURE 



herbs can be distilled, thus obviating the necessity" of picking the 

 flowers by hand. 



The distillation of oil from such seeds as caraway, anise, fennel, 

 and coriander, which are so universally used for flavoring and scent- 

 ing purposes, has been successfully exploited in southern Europe for 

 decades. These seeds have been introduced into the United States 

 and grown in small quantities, principally for household use. The 

 ease of production as a household necessity should be sufficient stimu- 

 lus for growing the plants on a broader basis for the distillation of 

 the very fragrant oils. The North-Central States, with their excel- 

 lent soil and climate, undoubtedly are capable of producing profitable 

 yields of seeds giving from 2 to 7 per cent of volatile oil. The method 

 of distillation is similar to that of leaves or herbs, with the exception 

 that, in order to facilitate the permeation of the steam, the seeds are 

 ground coarsely before being subjeced to the steam vapors. 



In the manufacture of perfumes the role played by volatile oils 

 is all important. A large proportion of the amounts consumed enters 

 the channels of the perfumery trade. Usually perfumes consist of 

 blends of odors brought about by a skillful combining of several oils 

 in varying proportions through a medium capable of holding in solu- 

 tion these oils and odoriferous ingredients. The manufacture of per- 

 fumes has shown but little development in the New World. Perfum- 

 ery products are largely imported in the prepared condition, chiefly' 

 from France, where the skillful art of compounding has been scien- 

 tifically developed. 



The use of volatile oils in flavoring and in the manufacture of 

 flavoring extracts is very extensive, but it is restricted to a compara- 

 tively small number of oils, principal among which are lemon, 

 orange, wintergreen, peppermint, and others of this type. For scent- 

 ing purposes, such as aromatizing soaps and toilet preparations in 

 general volatile oils have been employed very extensively in the 

 United States. Their use in this line of application has increased 

 with the increase in the manufacture of these much-demanded 

 articles. 



On the other hand, the medicinal value of certain oils and of 

 certain constituents which can be isolated from them has created a 

 demand which in part has been supplied by home production and in 

 part by foreign production. The separation of important thera- 

 peutic ingredients, chiefly antiseptics, has been highly serviceable 

 in the treatment of many ailments, a striking instance of this kind 

 being the separation of camphor from the oil of camphor, this ingre- 

 dient playing an important role in medicine as well as in the arts. 

 Other oils deserving mention in this connection are those of eucalyp- 

 tus and thyme, the former yielding the valuable eucalyptol and the 

 latter thymol. Another example is peppermint oil, from which men- 

 thol is isolated. All of these constituents possess therapeutic value of 

 no little importance. 



The Mediterranean regions of Europe are the chief sources of 

 these aromatics, which are so generally employed in the industries in 

 diverse ways. The cost of production is minimized in these countries 



