Am.  Jour.  Pharm.  I 
March,  1885.  / 
Essential  Oil  Industry  in  Grasse. 
131 
THE  ESSENTIAL  OIL  INDUSTRY  IN  GRASSE.^ 
By  F.  a.  Fluckiger. 
The  world-wide  fame  of  Grasse  depends  upon  the  essential  oils  of 
plants  which  there  grow  wild  or  are  cultivated.  Among  the  former 
may  be  named  : — (I)  Lavandula  Spica,  Chaix  (L.  latifolia,  Villars), 
the  "  aspic of  the  French,  which  occurs  plentifully  in  the  country  all 
around  Grasse,  and  even  quite  close  to  the  city.  (2)  Lavandula  vera, 
DC.  {L.  officinalis,  Chaix,  L.  angustifolia,  Moench),  which  not  only 
grows  together  with  L.  latifolia,  but  more  frequently  on  high  ground 
in  the  mountain  region  ;  generally  L.  vera  is  a  much  more  widely 
spread  plant  throughout  the  Mediterranean  region,  and  is  also  easily 
cultivated  throughout  Europe.  Both  these  plants  have  stout  woody 
stems,  which  are  very  enduring  ;  those  of  thyme  are  still  more  vigor- 
ous. (3)  Thymus  vulgaris,  L.,  a  real  ornament  of  the  Mediterranean 
region,  where  it  is  found  plentifully  both  in  the  Grasse  district — not 
making  its  way  so  high  up  the  mountains,  but  growing  in  the  light 
thickets — and  on  unsheltered  coast.  (4)  Rosmarinus  officinalis,  L., 
the  erect  but  always  bent  stems  of  which,  reaching  a  height  of  two 
metres,  and  often  several  centimetres  thick,  probably  overtop  most 
other  labiates,  or,  at  any  rate,  are  not  equalled  in  any  other  European 
spt'cies  of  this  family.  At  Mentone  and  Nice  it  is  difficult  to  say 
whether  Thymus  vulgaris  or  Rosmariyius  grows  most  abundantly.  At 
Grasse  the  latter  manifestly  loses  ground,  notwithstanding  that  it  is 
by  far  more  conspicuous  than  the  lower  lying  thyme.  Here  and  there 
Cuscuta  [Epithymumf)  selects  the  rosemary  stalks  for  its  home. 
The  oil  of  these  four  labiates  constitute  an  important  export  industry 
of  Grasse.  The  plants  being  vigorous,  persistent  bushes,  they  require 
no  cultivation,  as  the  tops,  bearing  leaves  and  flowers,  taken  for  dis- 
tillation, are  always  replaced,  even  though  the  collector  does  his  work 
in  a  most  unskilful  manner.  The  large  distilleries  in  Grasse  conclude 
arrangements  with  the  communities  in  the  districts  round  about, 
by  which  they  become  entitled  to  the  produce  of  large  tracts  of  land. 
The  work  itself  is  done  for  the  Grasse  firms  by  the  rural  population,  who 
set  up  their  simple  copper  stills  on  the  spot  and  only  carry  the  distil- 
late to  the  city.  Many  of  these  traveling  stills  (alambics  voyageants) 
are  indeed  the  property  of  the  large  houses  in  Grasse.  Probably  the 
work  has  long  been  carried  on  in  this  way.    The  Parisian  druggist, 
'  Abstract  from  a  paper  in  the  Archiv  der  P/iarmacie,  xxii.,  473. 
