Manufacture of Rose-water.—­The rose trees come into flower at the beginning of March, and continue so through April.  Early in the morning the flowers are plucked by numbers of men, women, and children, and are conveyed in large bags to the several contracting parties for distillation.  The cultivators themselves very rarely manufacture.

The native apparatus for distilling the rose-water is of the simplest construction; it consists of a large copper or iron boiler well tinned, capable of holding from eight to twelve gallons, having a large body with a rather narrow neck, and a mouth about eight inches in diameter; on the top of this is fixed an old dekchee, or cooking vessel, with a hole in the centre to receive the tube or worm.

This tube is composed of two pieces of bamboo, fastened at an acute angle, and it is covered the whole length with a strong binding of corded string, over which is a luting of earth to prevent the vapour from escaping.  The small end, about two feet long, is fixed into the hole in the centre of the head, where it is well luted with flower and water.  The lower arm or end of the tube is carried down into a long-necked vessel or receiver, called a bhulka.  This is placed in a handee of water, which, as it gets hot, is changed.  The head of the still is luted on to the body, and the long arm of the tube in the bhulka is also well provided with a cushion of cloth, so as to keep in all vapour.  The boiler is let into an earthen furnace, and the whole is ready for operation.  There is such a variety of rose-water manufactured in the bazar, and so much that bears the name, which is nothing more than a mixture of sandal oil, that it is impossible to lay down the plan which is adopted.  The best rose-water, however, in the bazar, may be computed as bearing the proportion of one thousand roses to a seer of water; this, perhaps, may be considered as the best procurable.

From one thousand roses most generally a seer and a half of rose-water is distilled, and perhaps from this even the attar has been removed.  The boiler of the still will hold from eight to twelve or sixteen thousand roses.  On eight thousand roses from ten to eleven seers of water will be placed, and eight seers of rose-water will be distilled.  This after distillation is placed in a carboy of glass, and is exposed to the sun for several days to become pucka (ripe); it is then stopped with cotton, and has a covering of moist clay put over it; this becoming hard, effectually prevents the scent from escaping.  The price of this will be from twelve to sixteen rupees.  This is the best that can be procured.

Attar of Roses.—­To procure the attar, the roses are put into the still, and the water passes over gradually, as in the case of the rose-water process; after the whole has come over, the rose-water is placed in a large