Democratic Sentinel, Volume 11, Number 16, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 20 May 1887 — Perfumes from Flowers. [ARTICLE]

Perfumes from Flowers.

The famous attar of roses is made from the Rosa Damascene, which grows like a weed in Smyrna, and in some parts of Turkey and France, though the growth is comparatively small in the latter country, Patchouli is made from a natural plant growing in great abundance in the Malay Islands, and is a great favorite as a perfume. There is a growing demand now for lavender water. It is made by mixing rose and orange waters with the oil of lavender, and has a refined and pleasant as well as refreshing odor. The genuine heliotrope is not as fine an odor as the imitation. The latter is known as white heliotrope, and is made from a combination of violet and vanilla, and has a soporific tendency, if breathed for any length of time. Bergamot, which with musk forms the staple perfume of the colored population, is a comparatively cheap oil. It is made from a small species of lemon, the best quality of which grows in the Island of Sicily, and is cultivated specially for this purpose. The distinguishing mark of the tuberose is strength, while the violet is light and pure. The verbena was once a great favorite, but it is now rarely called for. The rose geranium makes an elegant perfume, and is nearly as good as the attar of roses. The Lily of the Valley produces one of the richest perfumes, and the lemon, orange, and daffodil are much thought of.