THE TECHNOLOGIST. [April I, 1865. 



396 THE COMMERCIAL USES OF 



becomes covered in the months of October and November wHh globular 

 flowers of a bright golden hue, which, peering through its delicate 

 emerald foliage, have the prettiest 

 effect. All those who have travelled 

 in that season on the coast of Genoa 

 will no doubt remember what charm- 

 ing bouquets and garlands are made 

 of the cassie intermixed with other 

 flowers. To perfumers it is a most 

 valuable assistant, possessing in the 

 highest degree a fresh floral fragrance 

 which renders it highly useful in 

 compounds. It bears some resem- 

 blance to violet, and, being much 

 Cassie (Acacia Farnesiana). stronger, is often used to fortify that 



scent, which is naturally weak. 

 The cassie requires a very dry soil, well exposed to the sun's rays. 

 The tree does not bear flowers until it is five or six years old ; the yield 

 varies from 1 lb. to 20 lbs. for every tree, according to age and position ; 

 the blossoms are gathered three times a week after sunrise. A very 

 strong oil and pomade is obtained from them by maceration. In Africa, 

 and principally in Tunis, an essential oil of cassie is made, which is sold 

 at about 41. per ounce, but French and Italian flowers are not sufficiently 

 powerful to yield an essence. 



The violet is one of the most charming odours in nature, and well 

 might Shakspeare exclaim — 



" Sweet thief, whence didst thou steal thy sweet that smells, 

 If not from my love's breath ?" 



It is a scent which pleases all, even the most delicate and nervous, and 

 it is no wonder that it should be in such universal request. The largest 

 and almost only violet plantations have hitherto been at Nice, its excep- 

 tional position rendering it the most available spot for them. The violet 

 used is the double Parma violet (Viola odorata). It requires a very cool 

 and shady ground, and is generally placed in the orange and citron 

 groves, at the foot of the trees, which screen it with their thick foliage 

 from the heat of the sun. It flowers from the beginning of February 

 to the middle of April, and each plant yields but a few ounces of blos- 

 soms, which are culled twice a week after sunrise. 



Jonquil (Narcissus Jonquilla) and narcissus (Narcissus odoratus) are 

 two bulbous plants, which are also cultivated for perfumery purposes, 

 but in much smaller quantities than any of those already mentioned, 

 their peculiar aroma rendering their use limited. The former is to be 

 found chiefly in the South of France, and the latter in Algeria. 

 Mignonette, lilac, and hawthorn are also sometimes worked into po- 

 mades, but on such a small scale that they are not worth mentioning. 



