210 QUEENSLAND AGRICULTURAL JOURNAL, [1 Sepr., 1898. 
Manrsoram (Origanum Majorana).—The oil obtained by distillation of the 
leaves and stems of the common garden marjoram is exceedingly powerful, and 
is much used for scenting soaps. 
Plants may be raised from cuttings planted, say, in April, if the weather 
be mild; but a better plan is to divide old plants into as many single-stemmed 
plants with a root or two as possible. These should be planted in well-worked 
ground at distances of from 18 to 20 inches eachway. A couple of chippings with 
hand cultivator or hoe will be all that is necessary to keep down weeds, as the 
plants will soon completely cover the ground. If for purposes of distillation, 
reap the whole plant just before flowering ; but if for sale as dried herb, two or 
three cuttings may be obtained in the year. 
One hundredweight of dried herb will yield about 1 Ib. of oil, valued at 
about 16s. in the European markets. 
Marjoram likes a deep, friable, loamy soil and a temperate climate ; under 
which conditions the plant will grow to about 18 inches in height. 
Mir (Mentha viridis).—The oil of spearmint is very powerful, and is much 
used for scenting soaps in combination with other perfumes. 
This plant yields on distillation from 4 to 5 Ib. of oil per ton of green 
plant, valued at about 70s. per lb. It is generally propagated from rooted 
plants taken from old beds, and is very hardy and ‘easy to grow. If planted 
about 15 to 18 inches each way, the plants will soon cover the surface, and 
keep down most weeds. It does not necessarily need a damp soil, as it grows 
very well on deep, loamy, well-drained land, and will give about three cuttings 
in the year. There is a good market for the dried stripped leaves; the retail 
price of the imported article being about 6d. per quarter-pint bottle, which 
generally contains a very fair proportion of foreign material. 
Care should be taken in planting mint, as it may become a regular pest, 
and in some soils it is very hard to get rid of. 
Orance (Oitrus aurantium and bigaradia)—Very fine perfumes 
are obtained from the flowers, fruit, and leaves of both the bitter 
and sweet orange. During the season at Nice, in the south of France, 
there are sold daily from 15 to 18 tons of orange flowers. A ton of 
flowers will yield on distillation about 40 oz. of oil, worth about £22, 
and the highly scented distilled water is worth another £10. The perfume 
distilled from the flowers is used largely in the manufacture of eau de Cologne 
and other scents. That obtained from the leaves, twigs, and unripe fruit is 
mainly used for scenting soaps, and is worth about 50s. per 1b. The perfume 
obtained from the flowers by maceration in melted fat is quite different from that 
obtained by distillation, and exactly reproduces the scent of the fresh flower, 
Tt requires 8 lb. of flowers to perfume 1 Ib. of fat, divided over thirty-two 
infusions. This perfumed fat is worth about 8s. per Ib. The rind of the ripe 
fruit yields on distillation an oil worth from 12s. to 16s. per lb. Hach full- 
grown tree yields about 25 1b. weight of flowers annually. If, after extracting 
the oil from the rind, the fruit be cut up, mixed with bran, and fed to cows, it 
causes them to yield very fine milk. The finest perfume obtained from the 
rind of ripe citrus fruits is procured by squeezing the peel in one hand against 
a sponge held in the other. When the sponge is saturated, the oil is squeezed 
from it into a bottle and finally filtered to remove impurities. 
Orris (Iris florentina).—From the dried. root of the orris or iris is 
obtained a very pleasant odour somewhat resembling that of violets. 
The orris is extensively cultivated at Pontassieve, in Foscana. The root 
is harvested every three years, the plants being dug up just before they start 
the next year’s growth; the flag is then cut back to about 8 inches above the 
ground line, and the root a little below that mark. ‘This part is planted 
