Am>uiy,r'i9ih9arm'  }     Cultivation  of  Aromatic  Plants. 
439 
essential  that  the  air  be  sufficiently  humid  so  that  there  will  be  mod- 
erate dews  during  the  harvesting  season,  as  roses  gathered  in  the 
morning,  with  a  moderate  dew  upon  them,  yield  a  greater  quantity 
of  oil.  In  southern  France  the  heat  is  rather  too  intense  and  the 
dews  and  rains  are  somewhat  excessive.  The  production  is  carried 
on  extensively  there,  however.  In  Bulgaria  the  conditions  of  soil 
and  climate  are  very  ideal.  The  mountains  to  the  north  shield  the 
Bulgarian  fields  from  the  icy  northern  winds  of  the  winter  season, 
and  the  soil  is  largely  old  lake  bottom  of  a  semi-clay  character, 
holding  plenty  of  moisture  but  allowing  an  excess  of  it  to  pass 
through. 
It  seems  improbable  that  the  northern  states  can  provide  a  suit- 
able home  for  rose  culture,  but  the  ideal  climatic  and  soil  conditions 
can  probably  be  approached  closely  south  of  the  Mason  and  Dixon 
line  and  east  of  the  Mississippi. 
Rosemary  oil,  which  is  produced  chiefly  in  Spain  and  along  the 
Dalmatian  coast,  though  it  is  raised  quite  extensively  in  England, 
but  with  greater  difficulty,  could  probably  be  grown  with  excellent 
success  in  Florida.  Rosemary  needs  a  warm  climate  and  should  be 
grown  on  a  dry,  chalky  soil,  sheltered  from  cold  northern  winds. 
Geranium  oil  is  produced  most  successfully  in  the  mild  climate 
of  Spain,  and  though  it  probably  could  not  be  successfully  raised 
in  the  northern  states,  the  southern  states  and  California  undoubt- 
edly furnish  favorable  opportunities  for  its  culture. 
Oil  of  neroli,  which  is  obtained  from  the  flowers  of  the  bitter 
orange,  is  distilled  principally  in  southern  France.  Like  geranium 
and  rosemary,  it  probably  could  be  produced  with  equal  ease,  as  far 
as  climatic  and  soil  conditions  are  concerned,  in  the  southeastern 
states. 
Orris  oil,  from  which  irone  is  obtained,  and  which  is  distilled 
from  the  rhizome  of  the  white  flag,  is  obtained  most  successfully  on 
a  dry,  strong  soil  with  plenty  of  sun,  and,  with  plenty  of  water  avail- 
able, the  climate  of  California  appears  to  be  well  suited  to  its  pro- 
duction. The  white  flag  has  been  grown  there  experimentally  with 
good  results. 
The  preparation  of  flower  concretes  and  absolutes  from  the 
hyacinth,  tuberose,  jasmine,  violet,  jonquil,  etc.,  has  never  been  un- 
dertaken in  this  country  on  a  commercial  scale,  though  it  seems  very 
safe  to  say  that  they  could  be  produced  as  well  here  as  abroad  ex- 
cepting for  the  single  element  of  labor.    Experimental  work  in  the 
