570 OLEAGINOUS PLANTS. 



of the flower. At Grhazipoor the jasmine and bela are chiefly 

 employed; the oil is kept in the dubbers, and sold for about 4s. 

 a seer. 



The newest oils afford the finest perfume. In Europe a fixed 

 oil, usually that of the bean or morerja nut, is employed. Cotton 

 is soaked in this, and laid over layers of flowers, the oil being 

 squeezed out so soon as impregnated with perfume. Dr. Johnson 

 thus describes the culture and manufacture : 



Cultivation of Roses. Around the station of Ghazipoor, there are about 300 

 biggahs (or about 150 acres) of ground laid out in small detached fields as rose 

 gardens, most carefully protected on all sides by high mud walls and prickly pear 

 fences, to keep out the cattle. These lands, which belong to Zemindars, are 

 planted with rose trees, and are annually let out at so much per biggah for the 

 ground, and so much additional for the rose plants generally five rupees per 

 biggah, and twenty-five rupees for the rose trees, of which there are 1,000 in. 

 each biggah. The additional expense for cultivation would be about eight rupees 

 eight annas; so that for thirty-eight rupees eight annas you have for the season one 

 biggah of 1,000 rose trees. 



If the season is good, this biggah of 1,000 rose trees should yield one lac of 

 roses. Purchases for roses are always made at so much per lac. The price of 

 course varies according to the year, and will average from 40 to 70 rupees. 



Manufacture of Rose-water. The rose trees come into flower at the begin- 

 ning of March, and continue so through April. Early in the morning the flowers 

 are plucked by numbers of men, women, and children, and are conveyed in 

 large bags to the several contracting parties for distillation. The cultivators 

 themselves very rarely manufacture. 



The native apparatus for distilling the rose-water is of the simplest con- 

 struction ; it consists of a large copper or iron boiler well tinned, capable 

 of holding from eight to twelve gallons, having a large body with a rather 

 narrow neck, and a mouth about eight inches in diameter ; on the top of this is 

 fixed an old dekchee, or cooking vessel, with a hole in the centre to receive the 

 tube or worm. 



This tube is composed of two pieces of bamboo, fastened at an acute angle, 

 and it is covered the whole length with a strong binding of corded string, over 

 which is a luting of earth to prevent the vapour from escaping. The small end, 

 about two feet long, is fixed into the hole in the centre of the head, where it is 

 well luted with flower and water. The lower arm or end of the tube is carried 

 down into a long-necked vessel or receiver, called a bhulka. This is placed in 

 a handee of water, which, as it gets hot, is changed. The head of tie still is 

 luted on to the body, and the long arm of the tube in the bhulka is also well pro- 

 vided with a cushion of cloth, so as to keep in all vapour. The boiler is let into 

 an earthen furnace, and the whole is ready for operation. There is such a va- 

 riety of rose-water manufactured in the bazar, and so much that bears the name, 

 which is nothing more than a mixture of sandal oil, that it is impossible to lay 

 down the plan which is adopted. The best rose-water, however, in the b;izar, 

 may be "computed as bearing the proportion of one thousand roses to a seer of 

 water; this, porhaps, may be considered as the best procurable. 



From one thousand roses most generally a seer and a half of rose-water is dis- 

 tilled, and perhaps from this even the attar has been removed. The boiler of the 

 still will hold from eight to twelve or sixteen thousand rcses. On eight thousand 

 roses from ten to eleven seers of water will be ph.ced, and eight seers of rose- 

 water will be distilled. This after distillation is placed in a carboy of glass, and 

 is exposed to the sun for several days to become pucka (ripe) ; it is then stopped 

 with cotton, and has a covering of moist clay put over it ; this becoming hard, 

 effectually prevents the scent from escaping. The price of this will be from 

 twelve to sixteen rupees. This is the best that can be procured. 



Attar of Roses. To procure the attar, the roses are put into the still, and the 

 water passes over gradually, as in the case of the rose-water process ; after the 

 whole has come over, the rose-water is placed in a large metal baoin, which is 



