395
But there are on the Azur coast, and in many other districts in France,
important rose gardens, which have been planted with a view to the sale
- of cut flowers for florists.
In the Lyon district (in Touraine) the florists usually sell the plant;
in the South, they export during all the winter the prematurely opened
blossoms. Thanks to rational irrigation, to a system ot removable glass
houses covering hundreds of acres, and to the application of special skill
in pruning and manuring, these roses realise up to T50 fr. each in the
winter, and it is clear that the entire profit from these rose gardens is
- cleared before the spring flowering commences. At that time all the
rose bushes flower at the same time. The flowers are no longer of any
value, and are left at the disposal of pickers for a small consideration.
Up to 1910 all these roses were sold at 0*10 fr. or 0
- 20 fr. per kilo ;
from that time onwards, the red variety, " Brunner," admitted to be the
best, increased in value, and fetched 30, 40, and even 60 c. per kilo. The
pink varieties, especially Van Houtte and Paul Nabonnand, the yellow
varieties, Safranos, and the white varieties, Druski, remained at lower
figures. These flowers are obtainable in millions of kilos, and it is esti-
mated that 5000 to 10,000 kilos of roses are required to produce one kilo
of essence. French otto has a clear and penetrating perfume, similar to
that of the freshly-cut flower.
In France only steam stills are used, to the exclusion of apparatus
used with open fires, which in burning the flower somewhat imparts to
the essential oil a slightly burnt odour; the French ottos obtained with
^steam do not offer this drawback.
The " Eose de 1'Hay," a comparatively new rose, is a very strong
grower. In less than two years a plant becomes a thick bush, full of
leaves, and more than 2 metres high. It is very prolific in flowers, pro-
ducing in the month of May more than 2 kilos of roses, and continuing
to flower for at least five months.
The otto distilled from the " Eose de 1'Hay " is of a greenish-yellow
tint, but becomes yellow on keeping, and has a relatively low melting-
point, but an excellent perfume.
It will be very easy to propagate this variety all over France, and to
•obtain, in addition to the crop of the South, an important quantity of
•otto.
The characters of otto of rose vary considerably according to the
locality in which the trees are grown, and also in one locality from
season to season according to climatic and other conditions. All these
factors must be taken into consideration in forming an opinion on otto
of rose, and it must be remembered that no published figures can be
accepted as final or exhaustive. The following may be taken as being
typical, however, of the best ottos produced in various localities :-—
BULGARIAN OTTO OF EOSE.
Specific gravity 0*84^9 to 0-858
Optical rotation .lo*o
Refractive index at 25°
Melting-point
Total alcohols
Citronellol.
Acid value.
Ester „
Stearoptene content.
- 1° 30' to - 4°
1-4580 to 1-4650
19° „ 22°
68 to 78 per cent.
28 „ 34
0-1 to 0-3
0-7 „ 1-2
15 to 20 per cent.
