VARIETIES. 
371 
The  prime  cost  of  a  perfume  made  in  this  manner  would  probably  be  too 
high  to  meet  the  demand  of  a  retail  druggist ;  in  such  cases  it  may  be 
diluted  with  rectified  spirit  to  the  extent  "  to  make  it  pay,"  and  will  yet 
be  a  nice  perfume.  The  formula  generally  given  herein  for  odors  is  in 
anticipation  that  when  bottled  they  will  retail  for  at  least  eighteenpence 
the  fluid  ounce  !  which  is  the  average  price  put  on  the  finest  perfumery  by 
the  manufacturers  of  London  and  Paris. 
Jasmin. — 
"Luxuriant  above  all, 
The  Jasmin  throwing  wide  her  elegant  sweets." 
This  flower  is  one  of  the  most  prized  by  the  perfumer.  Its  odor  is  delicate 
and  sweet,  and  so  peculiar  that  it  is  without  comparison,  and  as  such  ean- 
not  be  imitated.  When  the  flowers  of  the  Jasminidce  odoraiissimum  are 
distilled,  repeatedly  using  the  water  of  distillation  over  fresh  flowers,  the 
essential  oil  of  jasmin  may  be  procured.  It  is,  however,  exceedingly  rare, 
on  account  of  the  enormous  cost  of  production.  There  was  a  fine  sample 
of  six  ounces  exhibited  in  the  Tunissian  department  of  the  Crystal  Palace, 
the  price  of  which  was  9?,  the  fluid  ounce  !  The  plant  is  the  Yasmyn  of 
the  Arabs,  and  from  which  our  name  is  derived. 
In  the  perfumer's  laboratory  the  method  of  obtaining  the  odor  is  by  ab- 
sorption, or,  as  the  French  term  it,  enfleurage  ;  that  is,  by  spreading  a 
mixture  of  pure  lard  and  suet  on  a  glass  tray,  and  sticking  the  fresh-gathered 
flowers  all  over  it,  leaving  them  to  stand  a  day  or  so,  and  repeating  the 
operation  with  fresh  flowers — the  grease  absorbs  the  odor.  Finally  the 
pomade  is  scraped  off  the  glass  or  slate,  melted  at  as  low  a  temperature  as 
possible,  and  strained. 
Oils,  strongly  impregnated  with  the  fragrance,  are  also  prepared  much 
in  the  same  way.  Layers  of  cotton  wool,  previously  steeped  either  in  olive 
oil  or  oil  of  ben  (obtaine/l  by  the  pressure  from  the  blanched  nuts  of  the 
Moringa  oleifera},  are  covered  with  jasmin  flowers,  which  is  repeated 
several  times  ;  finally,  the  cotton  or  linen  cloths,  which  some  perfumers  use, 
are  squeezed  under  a  press.  The  jasmin  oil  thus  produced  is  the  Suite 
antique  au  jasamin  of  the  French  houses. 
The  "  extract  of  jessamine"  is  prepared  by  pouring  rectified  spirit  on  the 
jasmin  pomade  or  oil,  and  allowing  them  to  remain  together  for  a  fortnight 
at  a  summer  heat.  The  best  quality  extract  requires  two  pounds  of  poma- 
tum to  every  quart  of  spirit.  The  same  can  be  done  with  the  oil  of  jasmin. 
If  the  pomade  is  used,  it  must  be  cut  up  fine  previously  to  being  put  into 
the  spirit:  if  the  oil  is  used,  it  must  be  shaken  well  together  every  two  or 
more  hours,  otherwise,  on  aecount  of  its  specific  gravity,  the  oil  separates, 
and  but  little  surface  is  exposed  to  the  spirit.  After  the  extract  is  strained 
off,  the  **  washed"  pomatum  or  oil  is  still  useful,  if  re-melted,  in  the  com- 
position of  pomatum  for  the  hair,  and  gives  more  satisfaction  to  a  customer 
than  any  of  the  "creams  and  balms,"  &c,  &c,  made  up  and  scented  with 
essential  oils ;  the  one  smells  of  a  flower,  the  other  "  a  nondescript." 
