be free from all foreign substances. They are then placed in a large earthen pot or a. wooden vessel, cov ered with pure soft or distilled water, and exposed to sunshine. The vessel should be taken indoors at night, kept covered, and placed preferably in a warm spot. The attar or essen tial oil of the rose petals rises on the surface in the form of a scum. This may be carefully taken up by a small piece of absorbent cotton on the end of a stick. The oil may then be squeezed from the cotton into a very Rose Perfume.—One of the most universally popular odors is the per fume of the rose. Most persons can obtain rose petals in any quantity during the month of June, and their fragrance may be extracted and stored for future enjoyment.
Attar of Rose.—Thi? costly per fume is prepared principally in the Orient and imported to America, but the process of preparation is simplic ity itself and can be tried by any one. A large quantity of petals of the rose are picked carefully so as to small vial with LI, glass or rubber stopper and preserved for use. The process should be continued Until the scum no longer rises. The vessel in which the roses are steeped should be covered during the day with a fine screen; otherwise it is likely to be come a breeding place for mosqui toes. Needless to say, it should be kept as free as possible from dust and dirt. Or put dried rose petals in an earthenware or glass vessel, cover with olive oil, and simmer with very gentle heat until the oil has fully extracted both the odor and the color of the flowers. Or the essential oil of roses or of any flower which has an agreeable fragrance may be extracted as follows: procure a quan tity of the petals of any flower or flowers desired, a roll of absorbent cotton in thin layers, a wide-mouthed glass bottle or earthen vessel, and a small quantity of high-grade olive oil. Put a layer of petals in the empty bottle, sprinkle over them a small quantity of fine salt, and cover with a layer of absorbent cotton dipped in olive oil. So continue until the bottle is filled. Close it tightly with a glass stopper, a piece of blad der, parchment, or rubber cloth, ani expose to the sun. In from ten to twenty days squeeze out the oil, which will be found nearly equal to the commercial article.
Or arrange the flowers in the same manner in an earthen jar and simmer with gentle heat by means of a dou ble boiler, changing the flowers oc casionally until the odor is satisfac tory. Rectified spirits may be added,
and the whole squeezed and strained for use.
Rose Jar. — Many artistic vases with suitable lids can be purchased for this purpose, and these make very acceptable holiday gifts; or an earth enware or glass vessel, such as a fruit jar which can be tightly closed, may be employed.
Gather fresh roses on a clear day when the petals are dry. Place these petals in the rose jar in layers, cov ering each with a thin layer of com mon salt. Then add two or three handfuls each of lavender flowers, rosemary leaves, and sweet marjo ram. Other flowers may be added if desired, or a jar may be filled en tirely with rose petals. Add 4 ounces of pulverized bay salt and 1 ounce each of various spices, as cloves, cin namon, grated nutmeg, and the like, also orris root, storax, or indeed any other perfumes that may be pre ferred. The jar is to be kept closely covered, except when perfume is de sired. Then the lid may be removed and the contents slightly moistened.
Potpourri.—This is a, mixture of dried flowers and spices not ground. To make it, take dried lavender flow ers, 1 pound; dried rose leaves, 1 pound; crushed orris root, pound; crushed cloves, 9 ounces; crushed cinnamon, 2 ounces; crushed allspice, 0 ounces; table salt, 1 pound.
To Prepare Tinctures.—A tincture of flowers having strong perfume, as the tuberose, jasmine, violet, jonquil, and heliotrope, may be prepared by crowding the fresh blossoms into a fruit jar and covering them with alcohol. After they have stood for a few days, the mixture may be strained through a linen cloth, the flowers squeezed to extract as much of the essence as possible, and fresh flowers added.
Or glycerin may be scented for the toilet and bath with any desired odor by the same method.
Or put half-inch layers of any flowers in an earthen pot or glass jar with layers of fine salt between. Screw the top on tightly and place the jar in a cellar or other dark, cool place. This process requires from one to two months. At the end of this time strain and squeeze the liq uor through a cloth, put it into a glass bottle, and let it stand in the sun to clarify.
Or place dry rose or other petals in a large bottle or fruit jar, cover with alcohol or other rectified spirits, close tightly, and preserve for use. A few drops of this tincture sprinkled about a room will give it a delicious perfume.