THE PLANT WORLD. 4 



o 



in the wood, from wliicli it is (.lelached by means of a sharpened stick. 

 The camphor is so })ure it needs no process of refining, and it is the 

 precious cam])hor of the east, used in reliijious ceremonies, and funeral 

 rites." 



The curious, sweetish sul)stance called manna, is found in some 

 seaweeds, in si)ecies of the Eucalyptus, and fronj the ash, /'/v/./v'/m/.v 

 oriti('<, common in southern Europe, Sicily and Calabria. In the latter 

 tree the stem is cut, and the juice which tlows from t"he wound is used 

 to some extent bv druofirists. The "manna of Sinai'' seems to be 

 created by an insect, which stings the stem of ImiKiri.r nm niiif'rn^ a 

 tree found in the desert countries of western Asia. From the {junct- 

 ure, a drop of sweet sap exudes, and as it hardens, it is gathered by 

 the Arabs who esteem it as a sweetmeat. ('ameTs thorn grows in the 

 deserts of Syria, Persia and Hindostan. In the hottest part of the 

 day the leaves and branches are covered with a honey-like exudation, 

 used in place of sugar, and as confectionery. It is not known what 

 the manna of the Israelites was. There is a lichen, Ltfiniorc njfiiil.'^, 

 which covers large areas of country, and l)eing light, is some- 

 times loosened by the wind and carried into the air, from which 

 it descends in showers. It often forms solid masses on the 

 ground, and is eaten by shee}) as well as by man in times of scarcity 

 of food. It is about the size of a small pea, grayish outside, far- 

 inaceous inside, and sweet to the taste. It must be gathered in early 

 morning, since the heat of the sun dries it and it is lost in the sand, 

 ])ut it can be kejjt in a closed vessel a long time. The Arabs l)oil it in 

 water and make a jelly of it, which contains nitrogenous matter, min- 

 eral matter, sugar, starch and fat. Oak manna from Kurdestan is 

 l)roduced in the hot season by a species of Quercus. Natives cut the 

 branches and steep them till the manna is distilled, then the branches 

 are taken out and the water is evaporated, a thick honey remaining. 

 It is shaped into round, flat cakes and sold as sweetmeats. 



It is from the white pop})y, Pajtarrr xo)uiufrrinii, that the opium 

 of commerce is obtained. There are three sowings of the plant, from 

 October to March, the crop being greatly afi'ected by the weather. 

 The capsule is ready for cutting about two weeks after the petals have 

 dropped. An incision is made in the capsule in the afternoon, and the 

 exuded juice collected the next morning. The capsule is scraped, and 

 the gum laid in a poppy leaf, which is covered by another. The 

 lumps of gum are dried, and then assorted into three grades, accord- 



