132 
Essential  Oil  Industry  in  Grasse. 
f  Am  Jour,  rharm. 
1      March,  1885. 
Pierre  Pomet^  who  was  well  informed  in  such  objects,  said  in  1694,  in 
his  Historic  Generale  des  Drogues/'  concerning  Lavandula  Spioay 
"  elle  est  si  commune  dans  le  Languedoc  et  en  Provence  .  .  .  qu'elle 
ne  cotite  qu'a  prendre/'  and  he  drew  from  this  country  the  essential 
oils  in  question.  That  the  oils  are  obtained  in  the  manner  indicated 
very  cheaply  is  very  probable,  but  it  is  a  question  whether  a  systematic 
cultivation  and  an  economical  manufacture  would  not  induce  greater 
progress.  According  to  estimates  for  which  the  author  is  indebted  to 
the  kindness  of  M.  Roure,  proprietor  of  one  of  the  largest  manufac- 
tories, the  following  quantities  of  each  oil  are  delivered  in  Grasse  every 
year :  from  Lavandula  vera,  80,000  to  100,000  kilograms ;  from 
Thymus  vulgaris,  40,000  :  from  Lavandula  Spica,  20,000  to  25,000 ; 
from  rosemary  an  equal  quantity.  Tlie  quantity  sent  out  from  Grasse 
probably  covers  the  requirements  of  the  whole  world ;  at  least  the 
author  only  knows  of  rosemary  that  it  is  cultivated  also  in  Dalmatia, 
which  country  sends  about  20,000  kilos,  of  the  essential  oil  into  the 
market. 
Oil  of  thyme  furnished  the  lirst  materials,  in  1847  and  1853,  for 
the  investigation  of  thymol,  but  this  substance  is  no  longer  prepared 
from  it.  The  amount  of  thymol  in  the  oil  appears  to  vary  consider- 
ably, and  more  exact  information  on  this  point  is  desirable. 
Of  the  oils  which,  unlike  those  already  mentioned,  are  regularly  dis- 
tilled in  the  laboratories  of  the  Grasse  manufactories,  those  of  species 
of  Citrus  must  be  named,  and  especially  oil  of  neroli.  The  flowers  of 
the  bigarade  tree  (Citrus  vulgaris,  Risso)  are  not  submitted  to  distilla- 
tion for  the  oil,  of  which  they  yield  at  most  one  part  from  one  thous- 
and parts,  but  for  the  production  of  the  thousands  of  hectolitres  of  "eau 
de  fleurs  d'oranger,"  ^'  aqua  florum  aurantii,"  and  "  aquanaphae/'  upon 
which  Grasse  prides  itself ;  the  oil  of  neroli  is  a  bye-product,  though 
of  course  very  costly.  According  to  the  author's  informants,  about 
2,000  kilograms  of  this  beautiful  oil  is  prepared  in  Grasse  yearly,  but 
nominally  much  more  is  exported.  When  a  proper  price  is  paid  a 
pure  oil  of  neroli  may  be  obtained ;  but  the  perfumers  and  druggists 
require  it  at  reduced  prices.  In  order,  therefore,  to  acommodate  them 
the  producers  add  some  "  essence  de  petit  grain,"  which,  however,  is 
no  longer  distilled  from  petit  grain,"  i.  e.,  the  small  unripe  fruit  of 
the  bigarade  tree,  but  from  its  leaves.  No  other  species  or  form,  how- 
ever, of  the  genus  Citrus  is  endowed  with  so  fine  an  aroma  in  the 
leaves,  as  the  bitter-fruited  orange  tree,  the  "  bigaradier."    The  bios- 
