ORIGIN OF PERFUMES

Shannon News, 28 February 1928, Page 4

ORIGIN OF PERFUMES

Almost every country n the world provides one or more delicate perfumes. The forests of Peru, the orange groves of California, the tropical seas, the rose gardens of southern France, Persia, and Turkey, the wilds of central Asia, all yield their fragrance. The great majority of perfumes are, extracted from animals or plants. Those of, vegetable origin may come from the petals, as in the caraway and nutmeg; the ring in lemons and oranges; the leaves as in sage and thyme; - the bark, as in cinnamon, or from the wood'as in sandalwood and rosewood. Fragrant gum resins such as myrrh, benzoin and storax are used largely in incease and pastilles. A common method of obtaining perfume is by distillation The fragrant parts of the plants, are placed in a large retort, and ,covered with water. The mixture is - boiled the odorous oils or attars rise With the steam, a.nd are drawn off into a tank nearby. Here condensation takes place, and the oils are removed by decanting.