t 



Kovember, 1913 



to employ horse labour, the wider 

 distance between the rows should 

 In; selected, or even more, say 6 

 hct. The btish develops consider- 

 ably under favorable conditions ; 

 if planted too close, it would be 

 most dillicult both to gather the 

 llowers and cultivate the hind. 



Care should be taken not to 

 plant too deep, for if it is planted 

 too deep the crop becomes stunted 

 arid unhealthy. This is a mistake 

 commonly made by those having 

 no experience of rose culture. 

 The roots should be near the sur- 

 face, well spread, out, and running 

 down at an angle of about 45 

 degrees, and the hne surface soil 

 pressed down on them tightly. 

 This should give the plant a good 

 start, and go a long way to the 

 successful establishment of a 

 plantation of this kind. 



— Pruning. — 

 Rose pruning generally is a much 

 debated point, and methods differ ; 

 but with oil 'extraction as the ob- 

 ject, the form of bloom or quality 

 as a rose is of no consequence. 

 What is required is " quantity." 

 The bush should be cut back so as 

 to produce an abundance of young 

 growth on which the blooms can 

 develop. Care must be taken to 

 cut out the thinner growth, and 

 admit light and air through the 

 plant, and at the same time 

 strengthen the leading shoots so 

 as to keep it in proper form. The 

 season in which this should be car- 

 ried out is important, as late 

 pruning does not give time for 

 strong shoots to develop bdore 

 the flowering season is due. The 

 usual time for rose pruning about 

 the city is July and August, but 

 June, or earty in July, is to be 

 preferred when pruning for the 

 purposes of oil distillation. The 

 work should be done thoroughly, 

 so as to give free scope to work 

 the land. 



— Gathering of Blooms. — 

 The blooms must be gathered 



, every second day, and the best 

 time for this operation is early 

 in the morning before the sun gets 

 at its height ; the earlier the bet- 

 ter. The blooms should be taken 

 off before they are fully expanded, 

 but not before they are opened suf- 

 ficiently to show the petals. There 

 is less risk of bruising or loosen- 

 ing them by shaking if it is done 

 at this time. Care in this respect 



i is necessary if the best results are 

 to be obtained. 



The blooms should be cut as 

 near to the flower as possible, as 

 any matter beyond the petals re- 

 duces the quality of the oil, and 



THE GARDEN AND FIELD. 



IS useless. When gathered, blooms 

 should be taken direct to the still, 

 loom and not exposi^d to the sun's 

 r.iys, or rain, or moisture of any 

 kind, 



— Distilling. — 

 distillation is similar to 

 Lluit of other essential oil-produc- 

 ing i)lants, but somewhat mc rc de- 

 licate, and extreme care must be 

 t.ikcn not to force the " boiling." 

 This is, perhaps, dilhcult where 01- 

 direct heat is applied, but with 

 superheated steam it is easily re- 

 gulated, and where it can be done, 

 this method is the best way of 

 raising the temperature. 



In Bidgaria, small stills are 

 scattered all over the llower-grow- 

 nig districts, but it is said that 

 nothing like as good results - are 

 obtained as in the South of 

 France, where the work of distHla- 

 tion is carried out in large and 

 well-equipped establishments, which 

 sometunes handle 150 tons of roses 

 a day. Nevertheless, with proper 

 care in applying the heat, and at- 

 tention to little details, good re- 

 sults can be obtained with the or- 

 dinary still and direct heat. 



iln distillation, two methods are 

 adopted. The oil is contained on 

 the surface of the petals. Either 

 the petals are stripped from the 

 calyx and distilled separately, or 

 the whole llowers are employed. 

 The former method gives a su- 

 perior product, but it is doubtful 

 whether the extra labour is re- 

 paid. 



In rose distillation, delay must 

 be avoided as m'uch as possible ; 

 the roses should be treated within 

 24 hours from the time of gather- 

 ing, and care should be taken not 

 to submit the roses to more rough 

 treatment than is absolutely neces- 

 sary. The place of treatment 

 should be free from offensive or 

 other odours. A good supply of 

 cold water is necessary to supply 

 the cooler, and where a running 

 stream is not available is must be 

 supplied from a well or tank by 

 pumping ; this water may be used 

 over and over again. 



Many small growers along the 

 Mediterranean coast make rose 

 water without the second distilla- 

 tion or extracting the^ oU in any 

 way. As there is no licence-fee 

 for holding a still in the Common- 

 wealth, but a permit only, with a 

 guarantee against any imposition 

 or infraction of the E'xcise laws, 

 it may be worth while for some 

 of our young ladies to try this 

 as a pastime, as there is a ready 

 sale for Rose Water if properly 

 prepared. It is used largely for 

 manv purposes. 



— Knfleurag'e and MaceratiofC — 

 Roses grown in l-rance and else- 

 where, are also utilized for perfume, 

 extraction by the processes known 

 as " Eulleurage and Maceration." 

 In the latter case pure olive oil 

 is generally used. The oil is 

 placed in a large vat, and the 

 rose petals are submerged in it ; 

 they are stirred up , occasionally, 

 and after about 24 hours drawn 

 out, and the oil pressed from the 

 spent petals, and the same process 

 is repeated with fresh petals until 

 the oil is sulliciently impregnated 

 with the scent ol the flower, when 

 it is stored, and the essence 

 extracted by some highly rectified 

 spirit solvent. 



The " Enlleurage System " is 

 very popular in France, and a very 

 considerable amount of "Pomade" 

 is made and used in this form. 



— " Red Rose." — 



Rosa Gallica. 



The rose is cultivated in England 

 and elsewhere for its flowers, 

 which are gathered in the bud. 

 The lower portion of the calyx is 

 cut off, and it is d'ried ' in this 

 form. Mr. Slater states that it 

 finds a ready sale at 3/6 per lb. 

 The wholesale chemist and drug- 

 gist purchases freely, and there 

 should be a good opening by way 

 of export. 



It is 'recommended in the Brit- 

 ish Pharmacopoeia, but, like many 

 other articles, to have its proper 

 standing, plants must be cultivat- 

 ed in Great Britain. This rose has 

 but little perfume in its fresh state 

 but develops a beautiful fragrant 

 odour when dried. 



The drying is extremely simple 

 and inexpensive. The bud when 

 gathered and trimmed should be 

 spread out so that the air can 

 pass through the leaves. The most 

 suitable method is to make a few 

 trays, about 3 feet long by 2 feet 

 wide, with strong hessian for a 

 bottom. The buds are spread 

 evenly over this, and a temporary 

 stand is made after the style of a 

 " three sided clothes horse " ; then 

 these trays can be laid across the 

 two side bars, and the whole built 

 up to whatever height is desired, 

 and if just sufficient room- is left 

 between each tray for the air 'to 

 pass through, the drying can be 

 completed without further trouble. 

 This may be carried on in the open 

 air or within doors ; if out of 

 doors, there should be some sort 

 of cover to protect from rain or 

 dews. The quicker the drjdng is 

 done the better will be the result ; 

 the blooms should not be exposed 

 to the direct rays of the sun. 



