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1 Aprtr, 1898. ] QUEENSLAND AGRICULTURAL JOURNAL. 289 
One difficulty that would almost inevitably confront the perfume cultivator, 
on his entering on the industry, would be the disposal of his produce when 
‘ready for market. This could only be effected by co-operation. A single 
grower could not possibly obtain the ear of the public; he would be at the 
mercy of the dealer, and would be compelled to accept almost whatever price 
the man of ready money might choose to offer. A community of scent-growers, 
‘on the other hand, if their goods were up to the recognised standard, could 
command better terms, might employ an agent of knowledge and address to 
negotiate their sales, and would even attract the attention of competing buyers 
for the trade. The farmer gets for his wheat a price so near to that for which 
flour is sold to the consumer and bread to the householder, that it may be 
said there is, in general, no more between them than a fair living for the 
dealer, the miller, and the baker, interest being allowed on their outlay of 
capital. So it is with respect to malting barley, oats, and. other crains, 
potatoes, wool. So it is with respect to the great staples of the world in 
general, those products that are consumed by the mass of mankind, some ex- 
ceptions being, however, made in the case of meat, fish, and other perishable 
articles. So itis with respect to butter, thanks to the efforts made by the 
Department of Agriculture, for the proper organisation of that branch of rural 
industry. Why is it that the case is otherwise with regard to wine, olive oil, 
&c.? Why is it that it would be otherwise with perfumes? It is that, 
whilst the trade in leading staples has become organised in response to the 
continuity and urgency of the demand, and the certainty, comparatively 
speaking, of the supply, that in products less generally in request is so 
entirely in the hands of dealers that the producer on the one side, and the 
public on the other, are practically at their mercy, and prices are hardly 
affected by the cost of production. The wine trade of the colony, now just 
entering on the stage of proper organisation, may be taken to illustrate what is 
meant. Hitherto, amongst the smaller growers, only those have attained any 
degree of commercial success who have established direct trade relations with 
“the consuming public. Those who have not done so, or whose resources have 
been insufficient to enable them to keep their wines till matured, have been 
compelled to part with dry red table wines, of fair strength and quality, in 
their young state, at from 8d. to 1s. 3d. per yallon; the liquor being sold to 
the public, trom one to three years later, after racking and manipulation, at 
from 16s. to 24s. per dozen in glass. Those vignerons who have been in a 
position to keep their wines for a time, and who have succeeded in reaching the 
ultimate purchasers directly, have, on the other hand, been able to realise from 
2s. 6d. to Bs. Sd. per gallon for similar wines, sufficiently matured, in wood, or 
from 10s. to 14s. per dozen in glass. So, in the absence of organisation, would 
it be with the perfume business. Unless there be communities of growers, 
with a total of produce suflicient to be worth the attention of the regular 
trade, and having relations established with it, the producers would be at the 
mercy of jobbing dealers, and would receive as their remuneration a mere 
fraction of the prices paid by the public for their wares. A condition prece- 
dent to the successful establishment of this industry is organisation and 
concerted action. 
As we have already explained the methods by which the perfume is 
extracted from the flowers, there is no necessity for repeating them here. For 
distillation, the plants recommended by Mr. Mellon, manager of the farm, 
are :—Rose, lavender, geranium, rosemary, peppermint. 
: For the manufacture of perfumed spirit:—Tuberose, violet, mignonette, 
jonquil, wallflower. Cuttings of any kind to the number of 100 will be given 
free of charge to intending growers; above that number the price at the farm 
is 40s. per 1,000. 
In the preparation of essential oils by the process of distillation there 
should be no mixing of different kinds, each variety of plant must be treated 
“separately, and the products kept apart. In the other process, if the grower 
haye not enough 'of one variety to saturate the available fat, he may finish it off 
