S WEE T-SMELLING PL A NTS 



65 



Lavender water, although it is really spirits of wine impregnated 

 with the oil of Lavender, is one of our most common perfumes. 



It is not generally known that the Queen is a great believer in 

 Lavender as a disinfectant, and that she is not at all singular in 

 her faith in this plant. Of course, it is not used in the simple, 

 homely fashion, which consists in tying up the blossom in silken 

 bags. The Lavender, to be efficacious as a deodoriser, must be 

 distilled, and the essential oil only used for the purpose. The 

 royal residences are strongly impregnated with the refreshing odour 

 of this old-fashioned flower, and there is no perfume that the Queen 

 likes better than Lavender-water, which, together with the oil for 

 disinfecting purposes, Her Majesty has direct from a lady who 

 distils it herself. 



The best Lavender is produced in England, at Mitcham in 

 Surrey, where it forms a large industry, it is also extensively 

 grown near Hitchin and in Cambridgeshire ; even our cousins in 

 Australia are now cultivating large breadths, and in this connection 

 it may not be out of place to mark their experience with the 

 plant. In reporting a visit to the Government Scented Plant 

 Farm at Dunolly, Victoria, in 1892, the Melbourne Leader states : — 



' This farm should be the subject of interest to every member of the 

 community, and it is to be hoped will eventually become an object lesson 

 which will bring home to the minds of a large section of the population 

 the opportunities which await them of making profit out of what is now 

 grown merely for ornamental purposes. . . . Two sorts of Lavender are 

 here grown, Vera and Spike Lavender, the former being the most valu- 

 able. As Lavender enters largely into the composition of a good number 

 of perfumes it will be extensively cultivated ; the oil at present is worth 

 about 10s. per pound.' 



Here then it seems that our own colonies are likely to achieve 

 great fame in the culture of dainty- scented plants. L, spica is a 

 coarser species, used for the commoner purposes ; whilst L. sfa^chas 

 has a dainty odour and would yield a delightful fragrance, but it is 

 scarce ; it is used in Spain on festival days strewn about the floors. 

 There are quite a dozen other kinds, including one with a delicate 

 white flower, but those we have named are the most powerfully 

 perfumed. 



The whole group are increased by seeds or cuttings, the soil that 

 produces the best returns is a light and dry formation : if put on 

 strong land, the robust gro^^i;h interferes with their odoriferous 

 properties. 



Lawrencella rosea.— A composite annual from V^'^est Australia with 

 fragrant leaves. 



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