SECTION I.

"By Nature's swift and secret working hand
The garden glows, and fills the liberal air
With lavish odors.
There let me draw
Ethereal soul, there drink reviving gales,
Profusely breathing from the spicy groves
And vales of fragrance."--THOMSON.


Among the numerous gratifications derived from the cultivation of
flowers, that of rearing them for the sake of their perfumes stands
pre-eminent. It is proved from the oldest records, that perfumes have
been in use from the earliest periods. The origin of this, like that of
many other arts, is lost in the depth of its antiquity; though it had
its rise, no doubt, in religious observances. Among the nations of
antiquity, an offering of perfumes was regarded as a token of the most
profound respect and homage. Incense, or Frankincense, which exudes by
incision and dries as a gum, from _Arbor-thurifera_, was formerly burnt
in the temples of all religions, in honor of the divinities that were
there adored. Many of the primitive Christians were put to death because
they would not offer incense to idols.

"Of the use of these luxuries by the Greeks, and afterwards by the
Romans, Pliny and Seneca gives much information respecting perfume
drugs, the method of collecting them, and the prices at which they
sold. Oils and powder perfumery were most lavishly used, for even
three times a day did some of the luxurious people anoint and
scent themselves, carrying their precious perfumes with them to