ON THE WAX TREE" OE LOUISIANA. 189 



Cit. Michault admits of a third fpecies of myrica cerifera, 

 which he calls the dwarf wax tree. Cit. Ventenat believes 

 that wax may be procured from all the myrica. 



The authors who have mentioned thefe trees with fome de- Authors who 

 tail are Marfhal, tranflated (into French) by Leferme, Lepage- have written re- 

 Duprat, and Tofcan, librarian at the Mufeum of Natural 

 Hiltory. A memoir inferted by the lad in his work intitled 

 L'Ami de la Nature, (hews the manner in which the vegetable 

 wax is collected in the colonies. 



" Towards the end of autumn," fays he, " when the ber- Mahner of co!« 

 ries are ripe, a man leaves his houfe, together with his family, rj Arnerica. Wa * 

 to go to fome ifland or bank on the fea fhore where the wax 

 trees grows in abundance. He carries with him veffels to 

 boil the berries, and a hatchet to build a cottage where he 

 may find fhelter during his refidence in this place, which is 

 ufually three or four weeks. While he cuts down the trees 

 his children gather the berries. A very fertile fhrub will af- 

 ford near feven pounds. When thefe are gathered the whole 

 family employ themfelves in procuring the wax. They throw 

 a certain quantity of berries into the kettle, and then pour a 

 fufficient quantity of water on them fo as to cover them to a 

 depth of about half a foot. They boil the whole, ftirring the 

 grains about and rubbing them againft the fides of the vefTel, 

 in order that the wax may more eafily come off. In a fhort 

 time it floats on the water like fat, and is collected with a fpoon 

 and ftrained through a coarfe cloth to feparate it from any im- 

 purities which might be mixed with it. When no more wax 

 can be obtained, they take the berries out with a fkimmer, 

 and put others into the fame water; but it muft be entirely 

 changed the fecond or third time, and in the mean time boil- 

 ing water muft be added as it evaporates, in order to avoid 

 retarding the operation. When a confiderable quantity of 

 wax has been obtained by this means, it is laid upon a cloth 

 to drain off the water with which it is ftill mixed. It is then 

 dried and melted a fecond time, to render it more pure, and 

 it is then formed into malTes. Four pounds of berries afford 

 about one of wax; that which is firft obtained is generally 

 yellow : but in the latter boilings it afTumes a green colour 

 from the pellicle with which the kernel of the berry is co- 

 vered/ ' 



The 



