The Art

OF

PERFUMERY,

AND METHOD OF OBTAINING

THE ODORS OF PLANTS.

DRYING HOUSE FOR HERBS.

From the rafters of the roof of the Drying House are suspended inbunches all the herbs that the grower cultivates. To accelerate thedesiccation of rose leaves and other petals, the Drying House is fittedup with large cupboards, which are slightly warmed with a convolvingflue, heated from a fire below.

The flower buds are placed upon trays made of canvas stretched upon aframe rack, being not less than twelve feet long by four feet wide. Whencharged they are placed on shelves in the warm cupboards till dry.

THE ART OF PERFUMERY,

AND METHOD OF OBTAINING THE ODORS OF PLANTS,

WITH INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF PERFUMES FOR THE HANDKERCHIEF,SCENTED POWDERS, ODOROUS VINEGARS, DENTIFRICES, POMATUMS, COSMETIQUES,PERFUMED SOAP, ETC.

WITH AN APPENDIX ON THE COLORS OF FLOWERS, ARTIFICIAL FRUIT ESSENCES,ETC. ETC.

BY G.W. SEPTIMUS PIESSE,

AUTHOR OF THE "ODORS OF FLOWERS," ETC. ETC.

PHILADELPHIA:
LINDSAY AND BLAKISTON.
1857.

PRINTED BY C. SHERMAN & SON,
19 St. James Street.

Preface.

By universal consent, the physical faculties of man have been dividedinto five senses,—seeing, hearing, touching, tasting, and smelling. Itis of matter pertaining to the faculty of Smelling that this book mainlytreats. Of the five senses, that of smelling is the least valued, and,as a consequence, is the least tutored; but we must not conclude fromthis, our own act, that it is of insignificant importance to our welfareand happiness.

By neglecting to tutor the olfactory nerve, we are constantly led tobreathe impure air, and thus poison the body by neglecting the warninggiven at the gate of the lungs. Persons who use perfumes are moresensitive to the presence of a vitiated atmosphere than those whoconsider the faculty of smelling as an almost useless gift.

In the early ages of the world the use of perfumes was in constantpractice, and it had the high sanction of Scriptural authority.

The patrons of perfumery have always been considered the most civilizedand refined people of the earth. If refinement consists in knowing howto enjoy the faculties which we possess, then must we learn not only howto distinguish the harmony of color and form, in order to please thesight, the melody of sweet sounds to delight the ear; the comfort ofappropriate fabrics to cover the body, and to please the touch, but thesmelling faculty must be shown how to gratify itself with theodoriferous products of the garden and the forest.

Pathologically considered, the use of perfumes is in the highest degreeprophylactic; the refreshing qualities of the citrine odors to aninvalid is well known. Health has often been restored when life anddeath trembled in the balance, by the mere sprinkling of essence ofcedrat in a sick chamber.

The commercial value of flowers i

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