ATTAR, or OTTO, OF ROSES, a per fume extracted from rose petals. It is a vola tile oil, of soft consistency, nearly colorless, and deposits a crystallizable substance partially soluble in alcohol. The best article is prepared at Ghazipoor in Hindustan; but is apt to be much adulterated with sandalwood and other oils. The whole country, for many miles around Ghazipoor, is a garden of roses, and in the spring of the year presents a most beauti ful picture of red and green. The roses are used both for rose water and the oil of roses. The latter is obtained from the rose water by setting it out during the night in large open vessels, and early in the morning skimming off the essential oil, which floats at the top. The rose water after the removal of the oil is not so highly valued as before. Attar is also im ported from Bulgaria, Persia, Syria and Tur key. In these countries the attar is obtained by distilling the rose petals with about twice their weight of water, the distillate being then ex posed in open vessels to the cool night air and 'skimmed off with a feather in the morning. By weight, one part oil is obtained from 3,000 parts of rose petals. About 20,000 acres are devoted to rose culture in Bulgaria, the annual harvest yielding about 45,000,000 pounds of roses or 8,000,000,000 roses. A one-acre gar den under favorable conditions produces 2,000 to 2,500 pounds of roses, from which 10 to 15 ounces of attar of roses may be distilled. Gen
erally 180 to 200 pounds of roses will produce 1 ounce of attar, there being about 200 roses to the pound. The average price, prior to the war, was $12 per ounce. Attar of roses is commonly adulterated with spermaceti and a volatile oil, which appears to be derived from one or more species of AndroPogon, and which is called oil of ginger-grass, or oil of geranium. Pure attar of rose, carefully distilled, is at first colorless, but speedily becomes yellowish. It congeals below ; melts at At 57°, 1,000 alcohol dissolve 71/2 oil, and at 33 oil. Specific gravity 872. Formula, CisH2,0i. Many attempts have been made to discover some chemical reaction which would reveal the falsification of attar with geranium oil, but hitherto mostly in vain. It is much used for manufacturing hair oil, lavender water and other perfumes. Solid oil of roses (rose cam phor, stearoptene of oil of roses) has no odor, is insoluble in alcohol, but soluble in ether. Car bon and hydrogen are its constituents. The liquid oil of roses (rhodineal, eleoptene of oil of roses) is very fragrant and is composed of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen. See PER