558 
VARIETIES. 
When  any  of  these  herbs  are  dried  and  ground,  they  usefully  enter  into 
the  composition  of  sachet  powders. 
Tonquin,  or  Tonka. — The  seeds  of  the  Dipterex  odorata  are  the  tonquin 
or  coumarouma  beans  of  commerce.  When  fresh  they  are  exceedingly  fra- 
grant, having  an  intense  odor  of  newly-made  hay.  The  AntJioxanihum  odo- 
ratum,  or  sweet-smelling  vernal  grass,  to  which  new  hay  owes  its  odor, 
probably  yields  identically  the  same  fragrant  principle,  and  it  is  remark- 
able that  both  tonquin  beans  and  vernal  grass,  while  actually  growing,  are 
nearly  scentless,  but  become  rapidly  aromatic  when  severed  from  the  parent 
stock. 
Chemically  considered,  tonquin  beans  are  very  interesting,  containing, 
when  fresh,  a  fragrant  volatile  oil,  (to  which  their  odor  is  principally  due), 
benzoic  acid,  a  fat  oil  and  a  neutral  principle — Coumarin.  In  perfumery 
they  are  valuable,  as,  when  ground,  they  form  with  other  bodies  an  excel- 
lent and  permanent  sachet,  and,  by  infusion  in  spirit,  the  tincture  or  ex- 
tract of  tonquin  enters  into  a  thousand  of  the  compound  essences,  but,  on 
account  of  its  great  strength,  it  must  be  used  with  caution,  otherwise,  peo- 
ple say,  your  perfume  is  "  snuffy,"  owing  to  the  predominance  of  the  odor 
and  its  well-known  use  in  the  boxes  of  those  who  indulge  in  the  titillating 
dust. 
Extract  of  Tonquin. 
Tonquin  beans  2  lbs. 
Rectified  spirit       ......       1  gallon. 
Digest  for  a  month  at  summer  heat.  Even  after  this  maceration  they  are 
still  useful,  when  dried  and  ground,  in  those  compounds  known  as  Pot 
Pourri,  Olla  Podrida,  &c.  The  extract  of  tonquin,  like  extract  of  orris 
and  extract  of  vanilla,  is  never  sold  pure,  but  is  only  used  in  the  manufac- 
tory of  compound  perfumes.  It  is  the  leading  ingredient  in  Bouquet  du 
Champ,  the  field  bouquet,  the  great  resemblance  of  which  to  the  odor  of  the 
hay-field,  renders  it  a  favorite  to  the  lovers  of  the  pastoral. 
Vanilla,  also  called  Banilloes. — The  pod  or  bean  of  the  Vanilla planti- 
folio  yields  a  perfume  of  rare  excellence  when  good  ;  and  if  kept  for  some 
time,  it  becomes  covered  with  an  efflorescence  of  needle  crystals,  possessing 
properties  similar  to  benzoic  acid,  but  differing  from  it  in  composition.  Few 
objects  are  more  beautiful  to  look  upon  than  this,  when  viewed  by  the  mi 
croscope  with  the  aid  of  polarized  light. 
Extract  of  Vanilla. 
Vanilla  pods  i  lb. 
Rectified  spirit    ......]  gallon. 
Slit  the  pods  from  end  to  end,  so  as  to  lay  open  the  interior,  then  cut  them 
up  in  lengths  of  about  a  quarter  of  an  inch,  macerate  with  occasional  agi- 
tation, for  about  a  month,  the  tincture  thus  formed  will  only  require  strain- 
ing through  cotton  to  be  ready  for  any  use  that  may  be  required.    In  this 
