THE  FLOWER  FARMS  OF  FRANCE. 
67 
The  oils  are  treated  in  the  same  manner  as  to  maceration,  but 
are  filtered  instead  of  being  pressed. 
The  process  of  "enfleurage"  is  as  follows: — Large  numbers 
of  "  chassis,  or  sashes,  are  prepared,  about  2  J  feet  long  by  JJ 
wide,  the  frame  its'elf  being  2  inches  wide  and  thick,  hold- 
ing a  stout  plate  of  ground  glass,  and  resembling  in  construc- 
tion a  large  school  slate.  Those  for  the  oils  are  about  4  by  2| 
feet,  proportionately  heavy,  and,  in  place  of  the  glass,  have  coarse 
iron-wire  network.  The  large  factories  have  several  thousands  of 
each  of  these  frames. 
Upon  each  side  of  the  glass  the  pomade  is  thinly  spread,  and 
the  surface  is  channeled  or  farrowed  with  a  four-tinned  square- 
pointed  wooden  fork,  so  as  to  present  the  utmost  surface  for  the 
absorption  of  the  odor  from  the  flower-leaves,  which  are  thickly 
sprinkled  upon  it.  The  frames  are  successively  charged  with 
flowers,  and  piled  one  upon  another,  up  to  the  ceiling.  The 
leaves,  confined  between  two  strata  of  pomatum,  wither,  and 
yield  up  their  odorate  principle,  which  is  rapidly  absorbed. 
Daily  renewals  of  the  flowers  are  made,  until  the  proper  strength 
is  obtained.  The  perfume  pomade  is  then  scraped  off  gently, 
melted  into  a  water-bath,  and  poured  into  cans. 
In  preparing  the  oils,  coarse,  heavy,  spongy,  cotton  cloths, 
made  especially  for  this  purpose  at  Marseilles,  are  saturated 
with  olive  oil,  and  spread  upon  the  netted  frames ;  flowers  are 
then  strewed  thickly  upon  them,  and  they  are  piled  up  in  like 
manner  as  the  pomade  frames.  When  sufficiently  charged  with 
the  odor,  the  oil  is  expressed  from  the  cloths  by  powerful  levers. 
Many  hundred-weights  of  flowers  and  herbs  are  dried  annually, 
are  variously  used  in  medicine,  in  cookery,  and  in  the  composi- 
tion of  scent-bags,  cachous,  fumigating-pastilles  for  the  sick 
chamber,  and  kindred  compounds  of  the  perfumer's  art. 
The  Parmesan  or  double  violet  is  grown  mainly  at  Nice,  under 
the  shade  of  trees,  and  yields  a  delicate  and  delightful  perfume. 
It  was  the  favorite  odor  of  the  Athenians  under  Pericles,  and  is 
now  one  of  the  most  fashionable  scents  of  the  Parisian  beau 
monde. 
The  flower-farms  receive  the  highest  culture.  Under-draining 
was  not  practised  at  the  period  of  my  visit,  but  great  attention 
