Scientific and other notes on essential oils. 51 



may be pumped up at once again into the still, in order to be used for a fresh distil- 

 lation. The purpose of this arrangement is to use the liquid again and again, not so 

 much for getting the last traces of oil out of it, but in order to save the expensive 

 firewood. The solid residue, composed of the extracted petals, is now everywhere 

 pressed into peculiar round cakes, which are dried and then serve the population as 

 fuel for boiling and heating purposes. On our picture, which was taken after the "season" 

 was over, we see these cakes, which remind one of the cakes made of camel excrements 

 used in the scantily wooded parts of Anatolia, laid out for drying in the factory. 



In the small stills shown on the picture (fig. 2), 60 okas of water are distilled 

 with 6 okas of rose petals. The receivers used are large glass vessels with rather 

 wide necks, holding about 6 okas. One distils enough to fill two such vessels, the 

 first being the so-called good or "top-bottle"; the second, the bad or "foot-bottle". 

 The contents of five "top" and five "foot" bottles, i. e. together 60 okas of simple 

 rose-water, is put back into a still, previously cleaned, and from which a quantity is 

 distilled off, sufficient to fill consecutively a flask holding 5 okas (I) and the two 

 holding 6 okas each (II and III). 



The residue in the still is not thrown away but used for distilling further quantities 

 of flowers, after having been diluted with 17 okas of water. 



The distillate III is mostly sold as rose-water, whereas the distillate II is distilled 

 again, in the way just described, together with the contents of 9 "top" and "foot" 

 bottles. In order to distinguish the bottles, different numbers of blue and of white 

 glass-beads are tied round their necks, such as in the country the animals frequently 

 wear as ornament or talisman. 



The highly concentrated rose-water (I) is left in said flask to separate off the oil, 

 which is then carefully removed with thin glass-tubes or small scoops. Owing to 

 the ungainly shape of the vessels, considerable losses are unavoidable. A fair amount 

 of the oil sticks to the upper curve of the flask and the great width of the necks 

 allows but a thin layer of oil to form, which it is difficult to take off completely. 

 The concentrated rose-water, from which the oil has been removed, is diluted with 

 9 bottles of simple rose-water, and the whole quantity concentrated again, as described 

 before, to fill 3 flasks. 



In Isparta, there is a kind of buying society of rose oil manufacturers, which 

 controls the sales and advances money to the farmers as well as to the distillers or 

 grants loans on rose oil. In Burdur, there is no such or similar institution. The 

 Agricultural Bank in Constantinople, which is under state control, likewise grants loans 

 or advances on rose oil. 



The rose-water is consumed exclusively in the country itself and finds extensive 

 use in religious ceremonies, for cosmetical purposes, in confectionery, for sweet dishes 

 and so on 1 ). 



Most of the rose oil was hitherto supplied to France, the French Mikado Perfumery 

 being named as the principal customer. The sales were managed specially by two 

 Constantinople firms. Since the outbreak of the war, business is almost at a stand- 

 still. At the beginning of July 1916, about 100000 miskals of rose oil were stored in 

 Isparta and 70000 miskals in Burdur, i, e. together more than 800 kilos of unsold rose oil. 



The prices were rather high in comparison with what was paid for Bulgarian otto 

 of roses before the war. The maximum paid in Burdur was 80 piasters per miskal, 



J ) It may also be mentioned that a certain amount of rose petals is used for making the highly vaiued 

 rose petal jam, or rather was used, as at present the sugar is too dear for the purpose. 



4* 



