Supplement to the “ Tropical AgriculturistT 
797 
May 2, 1898.1 
morning, and spread thin upon the fat. Close the 
glass-sided box. Every second day replace the 
old flowers by fresh ones, and renew them twelve 
or fifteen times. Then scrape the fat from the 
trays, break it up into very small pieces and digest 
it in spirits of wine 60 over-proof, say two lbs. of 
fat to 2h lbs. of spirits. Siir every day for a 
month, keeping it covered. Then bottle and label 
it “Extract No. 1. ” Now add fresh alcohol to the 
fat (1 lb. is sufficient), and stir daily for a month' 
Pour it off then, and label tlie bottle “Extract No, 2.'’ 
Do the same thing a third time, and so obtain 
“ Extract No. 3. ” Now you had three bottles, all 
containing different strengths of extract, and all of 
value according to their strength. The fat is 
now melted in a Bain Marie, is poured off, and 
kept for next year. 
(2.) THE HOT PROCESS. 
Take, say 2 lbs. offlowers,being careful that there 
are no stems ; put them in a round tin. Melt4 lbs. 
of clarified fat with only Just sufficient heat to 
melt it, Pour it over the flowers, and leave them 
covered till next day. Now get a larger dish with 
hot water to melt the fat, on the same principle as 
the glue-pot. This is called by the French a 
Bain Marie. Now take another round tin contain- 
ing 2 lbs. weight of the same kind of flowers, 
Place two strips of wood on top of this to hold a 
sieve. Then pour in the melted fat from the first 
pan, thus straining the leaves and allowing the 
fat to fall on the fresh lot of leaves in the second 
tin underneath. Cover up and again leave till 
next day. Clean the first tin for the morrow, so 
as to repeat the operation each day fcr fourteen 
days, when the fat will be fully charged and is 
ready to be digested in spirts of wine as described 
above. Only sufficient heat is required to cause 
the fat to melt and flow, as the extracts are very 
volatile at a high temperature, and a great loss 
may be occasioned by over-heating the fat. 
If more rose leaves are gathered than can be 
used on the same day, sprinkle them with salt, 
when they will hold their scent fcr a few days. 
This is called salting the leaves. For oils of the 
same plants coarse cotton cloths are imbued with 
the finest olive oil and laid upon a frame contain- 
ing wiregauzeinlieu of glass, On thesethe flowers 
are laid and suffered to remain until fresh flowers 
are procured, This opreratioii is repeated several 
times, after which the cloths are subjected to 
great pressure to remove the now perfumed oil. 
Hoivtomakethe Clarified Fat . — Take 7 lbs. each 
of beef, mutton, and pork fat ; chop fine on a 
board, and wash in clean cold water, then put in 
a boiler with five gallons of fresh water ; put on 
the fire ; add two oz. of alum and a handfull of 
coarse salt and forty cloves ; boil until all the fat 
is melted ; then get another basin with five gallons 
of fresh water, and skim the fat through a wire 
strainer into the water ; now boil the second time 
(adding the same quantity of salt and alum) for 
one hour, and then let cool. On each occasion of 
its cooling'a dark-coloured sediment is found at the 
bottom. This must be carefully scraped away. 
When the fat is perfected white aud pure through- 
out, it is remelted and put away for use. 
IIoiv to make a Cheap Construct a 
metallic tank of about 100 gallons capacity, the 
interior fitted with a holed false bottom, apout 9 
iycUes from Urn base. Set in brickwork (although 
this is not absolutely necessary) with a fire retort 
under it. A funnel about a foot in diameter at 
its greate.st extent, wdth a rim to enter and a 
flange to support it, is fitted like a saucepan lid 
over a con'e.sponding hole in the head of the tank. 
A pipe 2 inches in diameter — a continuation of the 
funnel— continues like a spiral worm around the 
interior woodwork of a barrel filled with cold 
water, the end projecting near the base like a fau- 
cet. This completes the apparatus. A five gallon 
still can be constructed for about §25 (about £5). 
How to Operate the Still . — The si)ace below the 
false bottom of the still is occupied by water, in 
which a few pounds of salt or alum are dissolved 
to increase the boiling point, Tlie tank is now 
filled with the desired flowers and the funnel- 
shaped lid i.s held in place by being screwed down 
and the joint packed with moist clay. A quick 
fire is lighted under the still, causing vapour, 
which percolating through the flowers lying over 
the false bottom releases the attar, and steam and 
oil go jointly up the funnel, aud wind their way 
through the condensing corkscrew pipe. A stream 
of cold water running into the tub condenses the 
steam and oil, which flows into a glass jug placed 
at the lower end of the tube. The oil is seen float- 
ing on the top, and is skimmed off with a spatula 
or flat ivory paper knife, or can be sucked off 
with a pipette (glass pipe), a crystal tube having 
a bulb about tbree inches from one extremity. 
The distiller places one end in his mouth, and, 
lightly touching the filaments of es.«ential oil 
with the other, draws them into the bulb. 
If the same distilled water is employed several 
times over, it increases the output of oil. The 
temperature of the steam must not be too great, or 
the essential oil is likely to be injured. Time — 
about three hours. The false bottom containing 
the stewed leaves is hoisted out, aud the mashed 
mass is useful as a fertiliser. This process 
applies only to the rose. 
Pots of different scented flowers sliould not be 
grown too close as each will become tainted 
with the other and the virgin aroma of eacli will 
become confused. Plots of roses, or j ismine, or 
tube-roses should be separated by others growing 
vegetables or other scentles plants. The beds 
should run north andsouth so as to get the greatest 
benefit from the sunshine which is an im- 
portant factor in the production of superior oil. 
As an adjunct to some regular form of cultivation, 
scent-making should alw’ays provide a nice sum of 
pocket-money, A few sheets of glass and some fat 
are practically the only necessaries. The work 
is light and pleasant. Saturated lard is worth 
from £1 5s. to £1 10s. per lb. in London or Paris, 
and the spirit or “ extract ” is w'ortii 3s. 6d per oz. 
or £3 10s. per pint. For the above information 
we are indebted to the Queensland Agricultural 
Journal. 
GENEEAL ITEMS. 
Mr. Kershaw, who has been visiting the 
Australian Colonies, with a view to opening up a 
trade in certain cotton thread fabrics, of which 
he is an extensive manufacturer in Manchester, 
has been giving his views regarding fibre plants 
other than cotton. Speaking of ramie Mr. 
Kershaw was emphatic as to the superiority of 
