26 REPORT OF SCHIMMEL &§ Co. OCTOBER 1915. 
the prices of lavender oil and they can, therefore, easily bear the losses caused them 
by the probable liquidation of the distilleries sequestrated by the Government in the 
Basses-Alpes and in Vaucluse. It must be admitted that they have understood how 
to obtain in their admirably equipped factories, under the direction of excellent chemists, 
large quantities of essential oils from the abundance of wild growing plants, and they 
have thereby succeeded in capturing a considerable part of our exports in these articles. 
It will be the duty of men with patriotic minds and business-like initiative to bring 
about a change in this state of affairs and thus to render a great service to their 
country. To begin with, it will be advisable to follow the example of the Saxon distillers 
in many respects. Their all-powerful establishments in the Provence are a cruel lesson 
to our indolent industry, which seems to be devoid of initiative. It would be incredible 
if we were not to derive immediate profit from this lesson, the more so as our farmers 
have proved a hundred times that very considerable returns can be made from a 
scientific cultivation and distillation of medicinal and aromatic herbs. Now is the time 
to interest the inhabitants of the more and more depopulated and poor regions of the 
southern French Alps and of the Cevennes in the indroduction of rationally worked 
cultivations of officinal herbs and plants for the production of essential oils which 
grow better there than anywhere else. Next it would be our business to establish, 
after the style of the splendidly equipped German distilleries, French factories in the 
heart of these floriferous districts.. For it has been proved that oils distilled on the 
spot from cultivated plants are as a rule far superior in strength to those obtained 
from wild growing plants. Lavender oil, which is used in the manufacture of a vast 
number of perfumery products, and also medicinally, cannot be replaced by any synthetic 
product, it is therefore a very important article of commerce, at home as well as for 
our export. Is it not our duty to try to keep this business in French hands?” 
We have replied to this article in the Parfiimerie-Zeitung*) and avail ourselves of 
this opportunity to give a copy of it to those of our readers who may not have seen 
the number of the journal in question. 
We said: 
_ “It may be premised that by the establishments “of Saxon distillers” our lavender 
oil factories in Barréme (Basses-Alpes) and Sault (Vaucluse) are aimed at, as there 
are no other factories of similar importance in German hands. Our Barréme factory 
was erected in 1905 on our own soil and has since then been enlarged and perfected 
as deemed necessary from the experiences gathered in the handling of fresh lavender 
flowers, until it has reached a state of perfection in its inner workings and its output 
capacity which has no equal in southern France. In normal years, such as f. i. in 
1912, 500000 kilos of lavender flowers were distilled for essential oil, the distillate 
obtained being of a quality never before attained (ester content about 52 p.c.). In 
another central place in the lavender producing districts, in Sault (Vaucluse), we also 
worked since 1905 in a hired factory, with equally excellent results as regards quality. 
Every reader will have to admit that, taken as a whole, the vituperations of Le 
Bulletin are really rather flattering to us, seeing that the author speaks of “factories 
spendidly equipped by excellent chemists”, and in another place of “splendidly equipped 
German distilleries”. These statements are now made, though during the last few 
years no means was left untried to thoroughly spoil our pleasure in the success 
of our creations. Among these means there ranks, in the first place, the positively 
astonishing cleverness, by an incredible distortion of facts, in arousing the suspicion 
1) 1 (1915), 8. 
