PERFUMERY. With the exception of a very limited retail sale of the absolute oils, all perfumes consist of fragrant essences in alcoholic solutions. The most expensive are generally based on essences obtained direct from the blossoms or leaves of various plants, but the bulk of those marketed owe their fragrance either wholly or in part to odors of artificial manufacture, for chemistry has devised methods of imitating nearly all natural perfumes at much lower cost than by extraction from the plants, and has also produced many new odors and combinations that are very pleasing to the sense of smell. Perfumes, or extracts, of proprietary or trade titles frequently owe their characteristic fragrance to the blending of a number of odors—drawn from any one, or all, classes—animal, vegetable and artificial. One of the best known brands contains, for example, the blended natural odors of rose, vanilla, musk and vio let. Less expensive kinds are produced by similar mixing of cheaper natural or arti ficial essences.
A few natural essences, as musk, civet, etc., are obtained from animal sources, but the great majority are vegetable in character. All parts of the world contribute to the supply. Considerable quantities of the essential oils of Birch, Cedar, Sassafras, Wintergreen, etc., are produced in the United States. England supplies an especially fine grade of Lavender. Bulgaria is an important source of Rose Oil. Italy furnishes the bulk of the commercial supply of Orris Root extract. Mexico gives, among others, the best Vanilla and Linolea, the fragrant oil of a native myrrh tree. The East Indies, the Philippines and the Orient generally, furnish Patchouli, derived from the leaves and head of the Patchouli Plant, a member of the mint family; Ylang Ylang, from the flowers of a tree of the custard-apple family and a variety of others, includ ing the cheap and popular oils of Lemon Grass, Palma Rosa and Citronella, and San dalwood and many spicy types. Nine-tenths of the world's supply of natural flower essences is, however, obtained from a stretch of hilly land, about 115,000 acres in extent, situated in Southeast France, spreading in triangular form from the city of Grasse, the center of the industry, in the direction of Nice and Cannes. The surround
ing country is protected by mountains on three sides—it is open only to the South and the heat thence is tempered by the waters of the Mediterranean. Perpetual spring reigns and the entire region may be described as one large flower garden, the atmos phere ever laden with the sweet odors arising from millions of blossoms. The late winter and early spring are the principal harvest times for violets, jonquils, etc., gath ered for perfumery purposes; the early summer for orange blossoms, carnations and roses; mid-summer for jasmines and tuberoses and the fall for the acacia. These are only a few of the flowers grown—a full list would include the broom, geranium, helio trope, lavender, mignonette, mimosa, narcissus, rosemary, verbena and a great many others. The annual "crop" averages about 5,000,000 pounds of orange blossoms, 3,000,000 pounds of roses, a million pounds each of jasmines and violets, six to seven hundred thousand pounds of tuberoses, half a million pounds of carnations, etc.—in addition to the large quantities of cut flowers supplied Continental florists.
The greater part of the flower-growing territory is distributed among a large number of peasant owners, who attend personally to the cultivation and gathering. Infinite pains are exercised in the care of blossoming plants. Many kinds, as carna tions, are protected at night and during rough weather with straw matting, imposed on framework dividing the beds at regular intervals.
The prices paid for the blossoms vary with the seasons—a fair figure during a good harvest is about six or seven cents a pound for rose leaves or orange blossoms, up to fifty cents a pound for violets—the large difference in the favor of the latter being due to the small quantity obtainable from any given space of land and the much longer time required for gathering. An experienced person can pick fifteen or sixteen pounds of roses in an hour but only about one-tenth of that quantity of violets.