This section is from the "Encyclopedia Of Practical Receipts And Processes" book, by William B. Dick. Also available from Amazon: Dick's encyclopedia of practical receipts and processes.
973. Essence of Lavender. Take 1 ounce avoirdupois oil of lavender (Mitcham) and 1/2 Imperial pint strongest rectified spirit; mix with agitation; a few drops of the essences of musk and ambergris being added at will. Very fine.
974. To Extract the Essence from any Flower. Take any flowers you choose; place a layer in a clean earthen pot, and over them a layer of fine salt. Repeat the process until the pot is filled, cover closely, and place in the cellar. Forty days afterwards, strain the essence from the whole through a crape by pressure. Put the essence thus expressed in a clear bottle, and expose for six weeks in the rays of the sun and evening dew to purify. One drop of this essence will communicate its odor to a pint of water.
975. To Make Attar, or Otto of Roses. Gather the flowers of the hundred-leaved rose (rosa centifolia), put them in a large jar or cask, with just sufficient water to cover them, then put the vessel to stand in the sun, and in about a week afterwards the attar - a butyraceous oil - will form a scum on the surface, which should bo removed by the aid of a piece of cotton.
 
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