356 THE CANADIAN NATURALIST. [Sept. 



According to Browne, the seed-vessels are very acrid ; tliey lather 

 freely in water, and will cleanse more linen than thirty times their 

 weight of soap, but in time they corrode or burn the linen. 

 This assertion, however, requires confirmation. Humboldt tells 

 us that proceeding along the river Oarenicuar, in the Gulf of 

 Cariaco, he saw the native Indian women washing their linen 

 with the fruit of this tree, there called the Pai a para. Sapon- 

 aceous berries are also used in Java, for washins*. The fresh 

 bark of the root J/omi/na ^oZystoc/u'a called "Yalhoi," pounded 

 and moulded into balls, is used by the Peruvians in place of soap. 

 Saponine exists in many other seeds and roots — in the legumes 

 of Acicici conciiina, in which a considerable trade is carried 

 on in some parts of India, and in the root of Vaccaria vulgaris, 

 Agrostemma Githago and Anagallls arvensis. It also occurs in 

 various species of Dianthus and Lychnis, and in the bark of 

 Silene injiata. Gypsopyila strutldum is used by the Spaniards 

 for scouring instead of soap. The bruised leaves of Saponaria 

 offi,cinaUs, a native of England, forms a lather which much re- 

 sembles that of soap, and is similarly efficacious in removing 

 grease spots. The bark of Qaillaia saponaria of Central 

 America answers the same purpose, and is used as a detergent by 

 wool dyers. It has been even imported largely into France, 

 Belgium, &c., and sold in the shops as a cheap substitute for soap. 

 The fruit of the Bromelia Pinguin has also been found useful as a 

 soap substitute. A vegetable soap was prepared some years ago 

 in Jamaica from the leaves of the American aloe f^Agave Ameri- 

 cajia), which was found as detergent as Castile soap for washing 

 linen, and had the superior quality of mixing and forming a lather 

 with salt water as well as fresh. Dr. Robinson, the naturalist, thus 

 describes the process he adopted in 1767, and for which he was 

 awarded a grant by the House of Assembly of Jamaica: — " The 

 lower leaves of the Curaca or Coratoe (^Agave karatii) were 

 pressed between heavy rollers to express the juice, which, after 

 being strained through a hair cloth, was merely inspissated by the 

 action of the sun, or a slow fire, and cast into balls or cakes. The 

 only precaution deemed necessary was to prevent the mixture of 

 any unctuous materials, which destroyed the efficacy of the soap. 

 Another vegetable soap, which has been found excellent for wash- 

 ing silk, &c. may be thus obtained : — To one part of the Ackee* 

 add one and a-half parts of the before-named Agave Jcaratu, ma- 

 cerated in one part of boiling water for twenty four hours, and 



