LILY.—­The manufacturing perfumer rejects the advice of the inspired writer, to “consider the lilies of the field.”  Rich as they are in odor, they are not cultivated for their perfume.  If lilies are thrown into oil of sweet almonds, or ben oil, they impart to it their sweet smell; but to obtain anything like fragrance, the infusion must be repeated a dozen times with the same oil, using fresh flowers for each infusion, after standing a day or so.  The oil being shaken with an equal quantity of spirit for a week, gives up its odor to the alcohol, and thus extract of lilies may be made.  But how it is made is thus:—­

IMITATION “LILY OF THE VALLEY.”

Extract of tubereuse, 1/2 pint.
   " jasmine, 1 oz.
   " fleur d’orange, 2 oz.
   " vanilla, 3 oz.
   " cassie, 1/4 pint.
   " rose, 1/4 "
Otto of almonds, 3 drops.

Keep this mixture together for a month, and then bottle it for sale.  It is a perfume that is very much admired.

MACE.—­Ground mace is used in the manufacture of some of those scented powders called Sachets.  A strong-smelling essential oil may be procured from it by distillation, but it is rarely used.

MAGNOLIA.—­The perfume of this flower is superb; practically, however, it is of little use to the manufacturer, the large size of the blossoms and their comparative scarcity prevents their being used, but a very excellent imitation of its odor is made as under, and is that which is found in the perfumers’ shops of London and Paris.

IMITATION “ESSENCE OF MAGNOLIA.”

Spirituous extract of orange-flower pomatum, 1 pint.
      " " rose pomatum, 2 pints.
      " " tubereuse pomatum, 1/2 pint.
      " " violet pomatum, 1/2 "
Essential oil of citron, 3 drs.
      " " almonds, 10 drops.

MARJORAM.—­The otto procured by distilling Origanum majorana, commonly called oil of oringeat by the French, is exceedingly powerful, and in this respect resembles all the ottos from the different species of thyme, of which the marjoram is one.  One hundred weight of the dry herb yields about ten ounces of the otto.  Oringeat oil is extensively used for perfuming soap, but more in France than in England.  It is the chief ingredient used by Gelle Freres, of Paris, for scenting their “Tablet Monstre Soap,” so common in the London shops.

MEADOW SWEET.—­A sweet-smelling otto can be produced by distilling the Spiraea ulmaria, but it is not used by perfumers.

MELISSA.  See BALM.

MIGNONETTE.—­But for the exquisite odor of this little flower, it would scarcely be known otherwise than as a weed.  Sweet as it is in its natural state, and prolific in odor, we are not able to maintain its characteristic smell as an essence.  Like many others, during separation from the plant, the fragrance is more or less modified; though not perfect, it still reminds the sense of the odor of the flowers.  To give it that sweetness which it appears to want, a certain quantity of violet is added to bring it up to the market odor.