Oetot*r JO, 1887. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
345 
about seventeen acres of prepared ground for planting. In tbe autumn 
of 1881, 45,000 tufts of Violets and 140,000 roots of tbe white Jasmine 
were planted. The following spring the remainder of the ground was 
planted with Roses, Geraniums, Tuberoses, and Jonquils, and a labora¬ 
tory erected for the manufacture of perfumes. The position proved to 
have been well chosen, as the flowers grew vigorously and well; and in 
1885, the fourth year after planting, this farm, which had previously 
yielded a rental of £23 a year, produced perfumes valued at £8630, 
giving a net profit of £1553. This is sufficient to illustrate how lucra¬ 
tive flower farming may become in favourable districts and under good 
management. 
From observation at Seillans and in the neighbourhood of Grasse, 
where perfume flower growing is the leading industry, Consul Mason 
says that the essential conditions appear to be an altitude of from 
500 feet to 2000 feet. Flowers grown on such elevated positions are said 
to be richer in perfume than similar varieties which bloom in valleys 
and lowlands ; a soil rich in calcareous elements, a situation sheltered 
from cold northern winds, and not subject to the white frosts which in 
spring and autumn affect the damp lowlands. In countries like 
Southern France, where the rainfall is always scanty, and often want¬ 
ing entirely from May until September, irrigation is essential to the 
culture of flowers as well as every other crop. It is said the perfume 
growers and distillers on the Mediterranean coast attribute their success 
not less to the peculiar climate of Provence than to their knowledge of 
every detail of the industry—a knowledge acquired by more than a cen¬ 
tury of experience, and transmitted from generation to generation. One 
essential principle in perfume culture is that all fancy and “ improved ” 
varieties of flowers are discarded, and the natural, simple, old-fashioned 
kinds are exclusively grown. The Roses on the slopes of Seillans are the 
common pink ones, and the single wild Violet is preferred to all the 
larger artificially developed varieties. Only the white Jasmine is used 1 
the yellow and less fragrant variety appearing to be either discarded or 
unknown. Jasmine plants are set in rows about 10 inches apart, and 
are closely pruned. Roses are grown on the lower terraces, and are 
also cut low, and the ground between the plants heavily manured. 
After the Roses have been gathered the stem is cut to within a few 
inches of the ground to preserve for the next season the entire vigour of 
the plant. 
During the harvest season traders or “ middle men ” go through the 
country every day with waggons collecting flowers from the farms, for 
which they pay prices varying according to the extent of the crop and 
the demands of the market; their loads are hurried to the nearest manu¬ 
facturer, and delivered while the flowers are still fresh and crisp. The 
flowers are usually gathered in the morning, as soon as possible after the 
dews of the preceding night have disappeared. The manufacture of 
perfumes includes the making of pomades and oils by the process of 
absorption, and of essences and essential oils by distillation. Every 
complete establishment is provided with apparatus for all these pro¬ 
cesses. Pomades are the commercial vehicles for absorbing and trans¬ 
porting the perfumes of the Jonquil, Tuberose, Jasmine, and other 
species of flowers. A square frame or chassis of white wood, about 20 
inches by 30 inches in size, is set with a pane of strong plate glass. On 
cither side of the glass is spread a thin, even layer of grease—two parts 
lard to one of tallow—which has been purified and refined by previous 
boiling and straining. Thus prepared, the frames are piled up in ranks, 
6 or 7 feet high, to await the season of each special flower. When the 
blossoms arrive, the petals are picked from the stem, and laid so as to 
cover the grease in each frame. These being again piled so as to rest 
upon their wooden edges, which fit closely together, there is formed a 
species of tight chambers, the floors and ceilings of which are of grease, 
exposed to the perfume of the flower leaves within ; the grease absorbs 
the perfume, the spent flowers are removed daily, and fresh ones supplied, 
and this process goes on from two to four or five months, according to 
the desired strength of the pomade, which, when sufficiently charged 
with perfume, is taken from the glass with a wide thin spatula, and 
packed in tin cans or stagnons for export. By these methods the deli¬ 
cate odours of flowers are extracted, and retained for transport to 
distant markets, where the grease, being treated with alcohol, yields the 
perfume to that stronger vehicle, and produces the floral waters and ex¬ 
tracts of commerce. Coarse pomades are made by boiling the flowers in 
the grease, and subjecting the residue to pressure. The spent pomades 
are used for toilet purposes, and in the manufacture of fine soaps. The 
process of preparing perfumed oils involves the same principle, except 
that instead of solid grease superfine olive oil is used. With this oil 
pieces of coarse cotton fabric are saturated, which are then spread upon 
wire netting framed in woollen chassis about 3 feet by 4 feet in size. 
The flowers are spread upon the saturated cloths, and the frames piled 
one upon another, so that the perfume of the flowers is absorbed, as in 
the previous process. 
Essences and scents are produced by ordinary distillation, in which 
the flowers aie boiled with water in large alembics; the vapour carries 
off the perfume, and is condensed in adjoining copper tanks. Some of 
the retorts used for this purpose are of sufficient size to receive at once 
half a ton of fresh flowers, with the requisite water for their distilla¬ 
tion. When scents are to be produced alcohol is used in the distilling 
tank to receive the perfumes. By skilful combinations of the perfumes 
of the different flowers, sometimes with the addition of chemicals, a 
large variety of scents, such as li patchouli,” “ jockey club,” &c., arc 
produced at the original laboratory. The work of the manufactories is 
largely done by women, who earn from tenpence to one shilling for a 
day’s labour of ten hours, and during the busy season of Roses and 
Orange flowers they earn half as much more by working until midnight 
or even later .—(Journal of the Society of Artr.~) 
WORK. F0I l THE WEEK. O 
SfPf 
KsL 
Jw\0~ 
'S' 
KITCHEN GARDEN. 
Beetroot. —Frost is injurious to this, and the best of the roots 
should be taken in. It may be stored in any cool shed ; loosen the soil 
in which the roots are growing with a fork, but do not break any of the 
root, then draw them up by the tops and trim off the latter at a distance 
of 4 inches from the crown. They may then be banked up amongst fine 
ashes in the shed, and if this is done when the roots are dry they will 
remain good without further attention until April or May next year. 
Onions. —Those which were drawn up and taken under cover in the 
rough should now be cleaned of all loose skin and stored carefully away. 
We have tried many ways of storing Onions, and now we only follow 
one. This is, after cleaning they are spread out in a layer about 6 inches 
in thickness in a cool dry house, and there they remain sound and good 
until far into spring. We guard them from frost and never excite them 
with much heat. The plan of stringing Onions is good, but takes some¬ 
time to accomplish, and except that it is a good way of showing the 
Onions it has no advantage over laying them out. 
Tomatoes. —It has been a splendid season for Tomatoes in the open 
air. We never knew them do so well. They have been ripening for 
some months past, and now there are many still unripe on the plants. 
But these will not ripen much more now, and there is great danger of 
their being injured by frost. It is therefore best to cut the whole of 
them from the plants, tie them in clusters of ten or a dozen, and hang 
them in a warm room or glass house to ripen. We hang ours in a vinery. 
Fruits treated in this way do not become quite so good in flavour as those 
ripened under favourable circumstances on the plants, but they are by 
no means bad, and in fact they are very acceptable in the winter months. 
We have kept such fruits hanging until Christmas, and always try to 
store as many of them as possible. 
Tomatoes from Cuttings. —All who wish to secure very early 
Tomatoes should propagate the plants from cuttings now. It will be 
seen that the old plants are bearing many young side shoots. These 
form excellent cuttings, and a quantity of them should be taken off and 
inserted singly in 2 or 3-inch pots. If placed in a light sandy soil and 
plunged in gentle bottom heat, they will root in a fortnight. They should 
then be kept quiet until about Christmas, when, if transferred into larger 
pots and placed in a gentle heat, they will soon grow and bear very early 
crops. Next spring we do not intend raising any Tomato plants from 
seed, but are pn paring now to have a good number of rooted cuttings. 
We find them fruit sooner and more freely than seedlings. 
Vegetable Marrows. —The frost has cut down most of these 
plants, but there are still many fruits on them, and if these are cut off 
and stored in a dry room they will remain sound and fit for use for two 
or three months. They are very acceptable as other vegetables become 
scarce. 
Late Potatoes —The crops of these are splendid. Our fears of 
second growth and other ailments have been unfounded, as the tubers 
are numerous, large, and clean, with little disease. Indeed our crops 
were never better, but they do not make any progress now; and the- 
sooner they are all dug and stored the better. Do not disturb them 
when it is wet, but choose a fine day, dig them, and place them under 
cover ; then they are safe, and can be picked over and finally stored. 
Their perfect keeping depends a great deal on dry storing. 
Spinach. —The last sowing is growing freely. The plants are inclined 
to become crowded, but to allow them to do this would be a mistake. 
Some may think that they will get a heavier crop from crowded plants,, 
but the leaves of such will be very small, and it is large 1 aves that are 
most valuable. If the plants are thinned out to a distance of 6 inches 
apart they will produce a more satisfactory crop than if only grown. 
1 inch asunder. 
Cauliflowers. —Veitch’s Autumn Giant is still fine. Many more 
are turning in than are required, but by entting them before they are 
too old, trimming most of the leaves off, and then inserting the stems in 
boxes filled with sand or leaf soil, and placing them in a cool shed, they 
remain good for a month. Those which are formed, but not large 
enough for cutting, may be injured by frost if not slightly protected, 
and this may easily be done by breaking some of the large leav, s half 
through and turning them down over the heads. 
FRUIT FORCING. 
Vines. —With so many good late varieties the necessity of forcing 
Vines to have ripe Grapes very early is no longer desirable where the 
late varieties are grown in sufficient quantity to afford a supply up to 
May. For long and good keeping without any deterioration of quality 
Lady Downe’s is without a rival, keeping fresh and plump until May. 
It is also a certain cropper, and though not so imposing in appearance 
as some it forms compact bunches, which finish in less time and in- 
■j variably better than the larger berried varieties. Mrs. Pince comes. 
« next in respect of keeping, and in quality is superior ; indeed, it has 
