Besides the above-mentioned dry constituents, the residues from odoriferous substances, such as vanilla, orris root, vitivert root, juniper berries, etc., employed in the preparation of tinctures may be used for ordinary fumigating powders.
Rose fumigating powder.—Rose leaves and rose wood each 2 lbs., lavender flowers and sanders wood each 1 lb., corn flowers ½ lb., tinctures of musk root and abelmosk each 1¾ ozs., African rose-geranium oil 1 oz., Turkish rose oil 2¾ drachms, bergamot oil 8¼ drachms, clove oil 2¾ drachms, nutmeg oil 1½ drachms, extract from French rose pomade 3½ ozs.
Violet fumigating powder.—Rasped orris root 4 lbs., lavender flowers and rasped sanders wood each 1 lb., orris-root tincture, abelmosk tincture, and bergamot oil each 1¾ ozs., orris-root oil, basil oil, and Ceylon-cinnamon oil each 2¾ drachms, extract from French cassie pomade 1¾ ozs.
Orange fumigating powder.—Orange peels 4 lbs., orange flowers and marigold flowers each 1 lb., musk-root tincture and Portugal oil each 1¾ ozs., petit-grain oil 5½ drachms, bergamot oil 11 drachms, extract from French orange flower pomade 3½ ozs.
New-mown hay fumigating powder.—Lavender flowers 2 lbs., rose-leaves, rasped sanders wood, and rasped orris root each 1 lb., powdered benzoin, Roman camomile, curled mint and balm each ½ lb., exhausted tonka beans 1 lb., patchouli leaves and bergamot oil each 11¼ drachms, African rose-geranium oil 8¼ drachms, tonka-bean extract and abelmosk tincture each 1¾ ozs., extract from French réséda pomade 3½ ozs.
Fumigating Paper. Bring into a capacious shallow dish a quantity of fumigating balsam and repeatedly draw sheets of card-board through it, allowing the sheets to thoroughly drain off and dry after each drawing through. After repeating the operation about four times, the sheets will be sufficiently perfumed and are then coated by means of a fine brush with a solution of gum-arabic in rose water. This gives to the sheets a dull lustre, while the thin layer of gum-arabic also prevents the volatilization of the aroma. The sheets thus perfumed are cut up into pieces the size of a playing card, and six to twelve such pieces put up in an envelope. For use the paper is not ignited, but only heated. With one such piece a room can be several times perfumed. It may be remarked that before perfuming, the name of the firm, directions for use, etc., are generally printed upon the card-board.
Fumigating Pastilles. Some perfumers make more or less a specialty of the manufacture of fumigating pastilles. They are generally of a red or black color, different perfumes, names and qualities.
To prepare them, the finely pulverized substances are passed through a sieve and mixed in a capacious dish with the volatile oils, tinctures, etc. The mixture of powder and perfume is then made into a mass with a mucilage of gum tragacanth, which is thoroughly kneaded to make it homogeneous.
The saltpetre given in the receipts is dissolved by itself in distilled water and last of all added to the mass. Its object is to keep the pastilles burning after ignition.
As regards the mucilage of gum-tragacanth, it may be said that it readily spoils, especially in summer. When it begins to get watery it is already useless and soon acquires a bad odor; by decomposition it loses its cementing power. Hence only a sufficient quantity for immediate use should be made at one time.