June, i g i 6 
47 
FROM THREE GARDENERS’ NOTEBOOKS 
Experiences Related by HOUSE & GARDEN Readers on Distilling 
Flower Perfume, Saving Azaleas and Growing Sturdy Roots 
DISTILLING 
FLOWER 
PERFUME 
T is really 
a very 
easy matter 
to capture the 
deligh t f u 1 
fragrance of flowers. Many people 
may like to try the following plan 
which will always give good results 
with any sweet-scented blossoms. 
Almost the only thing which it will 
be needful to purchase will be a 
glass funnel with the narrow end 
drawn out to a very fine point. 
Such an article could be procured 
from any chemist’s store. It should 
be borne in mind that for the pur¬ 
pose there must be no opening at 
all in the lower portion of the fun¬ 
nel, this being simply pointed, as 
can be noticed from an examination 
of the accompanying photograph. 
We shall now require a little stand 
to keep the funnel upright. This 
can be made in any way which 
seems convenient; the one in the picture 
was formed with some wooden uprights, 
the funnel being supported with a loop of 
wire between the two pieces of wood. 
A small amount of ice will now be 
needed. This should be broken into small 
fragments and it must be sufficient to fill 
the funnel entirely. Underneath the fun¬ 
nel stand a receptacle of some kind which 
should be absolutely clean. Now bring the 
fragrant flowers, which should have been 
freshly gathered, and stand them near to 
the apparatus. It is best to carry out this 
plan in a still room where there is no seri¬ 
ous draught. The blossoms should be fair¬ 
ly close to the ice-filled funnel, and when 
they are in position a small amount of salt 
is sprinkled on the ice. In this way a 
freezing mixture is produced. After an 
interval it will be noticed that a drop forms 
on the pointed end of the funnel and this 
is succeeded by others. Of course, the 
moisture of the atmosphere condenses on 
the extremely cold surface of the outside of 
the funnel, and this is responsible for the 
drops. While this process of condensation 
is going forward the volatile es¬ 
sence, which is given out by the 
flowers, is combining with the 
moisture and the result is that a 
highly perfumed liquid is accu¬ 
mulating in the receptacle. This 
naturally exactly resembles the per¬ 
fume of the flower, and is the near¬ 
est approach to the real scent which 
could be secured. Indeed, many 
people who have captured scent in 
this way declare that they prefer 
it to that which they can buy in the 
shops. Of course, all this manu¬ 
factured perfume is skilfully com¬ 
bined, and hardly any of it can be 
called a pure essence. The perfume 
captured in the manner described 
will not keep indefinitely unless it 
is mixed with about an equal 
amount of spirits of wine. It may 
then be bottled up and used in the 
usual manner, being quite satisfac¬ 
tory in every way. 
5". Leonard Bastin. 
BETTER 
ROOTS FOR 
VEGETABLES 
HE large 
Place the freshly picked floivers close to the funnel, 
which is packed with crushed ice and salt. While the 
moisture is condensing on the glass the volatile essence 
of the flowers is distilled 
The funnel must be drawn to a point. 
There should be no opening at the top. A 
stand for it can be easily constructed 
the conveyers 
and the fine 
tender root¬ 
lets that are so small they can 
hardly be seen in the soil are the 
actual food takers. It will readily 
be seen that if for any reason the 
main roots are cramped or remain 
huddled in a restricted zone, these 
delicate feeding roots must obtain 
but limited nourishment and natu¬ 
rally be fewer in number than 
where the main roots can extend 
themselves. 
As the season advances, the dis¬ 
advantage to the plant and to the 
gardener in weakness and meager 
yield will be apparent. 
Aside from the depth of soil 
preparation, a moderate instead of 
a copious water supply in early 
spring and regular cultivation from 
the beginning of growth, as inducements to 
expansive rooting, much can be done by 
deep setting. Of course, this is impossible 
with vegetables that are planted where they 
are to grow and capable only of a certain 
depth of seed planting, but with some of the 
kinds that are transplanted from a seed bed 
to a permanent location, the root zone of 
the plant can be increased by a deeper set¬ 
ting. This is so with plants that root readi¬ 
ly from the stem, as the tomato. With the 
potato, a deeper planting of the seed pieces 
results in deeper rooting. 
The accompanying illustration shows two 
tomato plants which, when set May 12th, 
were of the same size and vigor. The 
lower one in the illustration was set down 
5" into the ground so that earth covered the 
stem, between the crosses and the smooth 
part of the stem as shown. Just the top 
was exposed. 
The upper one had its root system merely 
covered to the line of previous growth. By 
May 28th, the plant that was set deeply 
had developed roots upon the buried stem 
shown in the picture. The top had 
grown much larger. The other 
plant had made a comparatively 
limited growth. 
Later in the season, the deeply 
set plant outspread all others, sur¬ 
passing them in yield as well as in 
growth. M. Roberts Conover. 
as 
SUCCESS 
WITH AN 
AZALEA 
The result of deep planting. Both plants were set at 
the same time, the upper shallow, the lower 5" deep 
THINK 
the ma¬ 
jority of ama¬ 
teur flower 
cultivators do 
not succeed with azaleas. They 
may keep one alive a year or two 
after it comes from a greenhouse, 
but blossoms, if any, are few and 
far between and soon the plant is 
allowed to die a lingering death, or 
is discarded utterly. 
Azaleas had been brought into 
our house at holiday times for sev¬ 
eral years in succession, but, how¬ 
ever beautiful at first they soon 
(Continued on page 54) 
