VARIETIES. 
561 
in  alcohol  impresses  the  olfactory  nerve  with  the  idea  of  the  presence  of 
hydrocyanic  acid,  which  is  probably  a  true  impression.  Burnett  says  that 
the  plant  Viola  tricolor  (heart's  ease,)  when  bruised,  smells  like  peach  ker- 
nels, and  doubtless,  therefore,  contains  prussic  acid. 
The  flowers  of  the  heart's  ease  are  scentless,  but  the  plant  evidently  con- 
tains a  principle  which,  in  other  species  of  the  viola,  is  eliminated  as  the 
"  sweet  that  smells"  so  beautifully  alluded  to  by  Shakspeare. 
For  commercial  purposes,  the  odor  of  the  violet  is  procured  in  combina- 
tion with  spirit,  oil,  or  suet,  precisely  according  to  the  methods  previously 
described  for  obtaining  the  aroma  of  some  other  flowers  before  mentioned, 
such  as  those  for  cassie,  jessamine,  orange  flower,  namely,  by  maceration, 
or  by  enfleurage,  the  former  method  being  principally  adopted,  followed  by 
when  "essence"  is  required,  digesting  the  pomade  in  rectified  alcohol. 
Good  essence  of  violet,  thus  made,  is  of  a  beautiful  green  color,  and, 
though  of  a  rich  deep  tint,  has  no  power  to  stain  a  white  fabric,  and  its 
odor  is  perfectly  natural. 
The  essence  of  violet,  as  prepared  for  retail  sale,  is  thus  made,  according 
to  the  quality  and  strength  of  the  pomade  : — Take  from  six  to  eight  pounds 
of  the  violet  pomade,  chop  it  up  fine,  and  place  it  into  one  gallon  of  perfect- 
ly clean  (free  from  fusel  oil)  rectified  spirit,  allow  it  to  digest  for  three 
weeks  or  a  month,  then  strain  off  the  essence,  and  to  every  pint  thereof  add 
three  ounces  of  tincture  of  orris  root,  and  three  ounces  of  esprit  de  rose  ; 
it  is  then  fit  for  sale. 
We  have  often  seen  displayed  for  sale  in  druggists'  shops  plain  tincture 
of  orris  root,  done  up  in  nice  bottles,  with  labels  upon  them  inferring  the 
contents  to  be  "  Extract  of  Violet ;"  customers  thus  once  "  taken  in"  are 
not  likely  to  be  so  a  second  time. 
A  good  Imitation  Essence  of  Violets  is  best  prepared  thus — 
Spirituous  extract  of  cassie  pomade       .       .       1  pint. 
Esprit   derose  £  pint. 
Tincture  of  orris  $  pint. 
Spirituous  extract  of  tuberose  pomade  .  .  i  pint  . 
After  filtration  it  is  fit  for  bottling.  In  this  mixture,  it  is  the  extract  of 
cassie  which  has  the  leading  smell,  but  modified  by  the  rose  and  tuberose 
becomes  very  much  like  the  violet.  Moreover,  it  has  a  green  color,  like 
the  extract  of  violet;  and  as  the  eye  influences  the  judgment  by  the  sense 
of  taste,  so  it  does  with  the  sense  of  smell.  Extract  of  violet  enters  largely 
into  the  composition  of  several  of  the  most  popular  boquets,  such  as  extract 
of  spring  flowers  and  many  others. 
Volkameria. — An  exquisite  perfume  is  sold  under  this  name,  presumed, 
of  course,  to  be  derived  from  the  Volkameria  inermis  (Lindley.)  Whether 
it  has  a  smell  resembling  the  flower  of  that  plant,  or  whether  the  plant 
at  all,  we  are  unable  to  say.  It  is  a  native  of  India,  and  seems  to  be  little 
known  even  in  the  botanic  gardens  in  this  country ;  however,  the  plant  has 
36 
