BULGARIA'S ROSE GARDENS

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 258, 26 July 1920, Page 8

BULGARIA'S ROSE GARDENS

■ ;. ■ PRODUCTION OF THE FRAGRANT ATTAR. Bulgaria will lose much of its charm if it be true that its inhabitants are abandoning the attar of rose industry in favour of tobacco-growing, says the "Manchester Guardian." Twenty years ago the traveller, from Adrianople to Kezanlik-a distance of ' some ninety miles-found "roses, roses, all the way." Only two varieties were to be seen—tho damask, used in the manufacture of the various rose confections beloved by Orientals, and the musk, proved by experience to be tho best for making attar, which a Persian poet declares to lie more pTecious than gold. Tradition says that the aptui originated through a certain Sultana ordering.a fountain in heT garden to bo kept supplied with rosewater. The action of the sun presently concentrated the oily particles, which rose to the surface, and the gardener, supposing the water to have become corrupt skimmed off the floating oil- In this operation some of tho globules burst, releasing a delightful fragrance, i The story is a possible one> and, at all events, science has largely followed it in extracting the essential oil of the rose. But the result thus obtained by a casual form of fermentation could only be brought to. perfection by the, distiller's art, The amount of concentration required may'be gauged from the fact that, though ten pounds of tosos will impregnate a gallon of water by- distillation, a hundred pounds will produce barely half an ounce of attar. Although much depends on the season and the odorous quality of the flowers, it mar be Baid that roughly only one pound of pure attar is hidden in a ton of rose petals. The fragrant mass'goes to the still in about twice" its own weight of water, and a powerful perfume results; but. from this stage the .process nearly followsi the course suggestcKl by the story of the Sultana's fountain. . This tosswator. is exposed to tho cool night air in shallow vessels carefully protected from the dust. Within a few hours nn oily film of pure attar rises to the surface, which: is dexterously skimmed off with a feather. This operation it- repeated until the water has yielded up all its essential treasure.