(188 AGRICULTURAL REPORT. 
workable. By some it has been supposed that this was the frankincense 
of the ancients. . 
African bdelliwm is a gum resin furnished by a small composite plant, 
Ceradia furcata, a native of the southwest coast of Africa. The gum 
exudes in small, pellucid tears of a pale yellow color, and somewhat hard 
and brittle. It has a slightly bitter and fragant resinous taste, pos- 
sesses a very fine aromatic smell, and throws out a refreshing and 
agreeable perfume when burning. Lately it has been surmised that this 
plant was the true source of frankincense. 
Myrrh.—This resinous perfume is produced by Balsamodendron myrrha, 
(Amyridacee,) a large-growing shrub, native of Arabia Felix. The 
milky juice of the tree is made to exude by wounding the bark, and it 
rapidly concretes into brittle, yellowish-red, semi-transparent tears, hav- 
ing a bitter, disagreeable, and acrid taste, with a strong and not partic- 
ularly pleasant fragrance. It was formerly much valued for its property 
of resisting putrefaction, and at an early date formed one of the ingre- 
dients for embalming the dead. The ancients considered it a universal 
medicine. It is known as balm of Gilead, balm of Mecca, and opo- 
balsamum. 
Googul and mukul are names given in Scinde and Persia to a resin 
yielded by Balsamodendron mukul. This is considered identical with the 
bdellium of Dioscorides and the Scriptures. The tree is a native of 
Scinde, and the resin is cellected by making incisions in the bark and 
permitting the gum to fall to the ground; hence it is full of impurities. 
ft is used as a medicine in veterinary practice, and burned as an 
incense. 
Bayee balsam is a product of Balsamodendron pubescens. This is brittle, 
tasteless, and inodorous, and it is presumed that it is frequently employed 
to mix with the more valuable products of this genus of gum-producing 
plants. 
Wallaba gum is obtained from Hperua falcata, (Leguminose,) a large 
tree, abundant in the forests of Guiana. The gum of this tree is used 
as an application to wounds. The bark is bitter, and the natives use it 
in a decoction as an emetic. The wood of the tree is strongly impreg- 
nated with a resinous oil which renders it very durable when used for 
domestic purposes, such as for shingles, house-framing, &e. 
Balsam of Maria is produced by a Peruvian tree named Verticillaria, 
a genus of Clusiacew. The tree yields an abundant supply of a balsamic 
resin, but its properties are not known to botanists. 
Balsam of wmire is furnished by Humirium floribundum, (Humiriacee,) 
a small Brazilian tree, which yields, from wounds in the bark, a yellow- 
colored fragrant balsam. The bark is highly esteemed as a perfume by 
the Brazilians. Humirium balsamiferum, the houmiri tree of French 
Guiana, yields a reddish balsamic juice, possessing an odor similar to 
that of storax, and which after a time becomes brittle and hard, in 
which state it is burned as an incense or perfume. Medicinally it is 
used as an anthelmintic, and an ointment preparation is employed for 
pains in the joints. 
Melanorrhea usiiatissina, (Anacardiacew,) an East Indian tree which 
yields a highly useful and extensively employed varnish, obtained 
by a process of tapping or boring shallow holes in the trunk of the 
tree, in which are inserted hollow bamboo canes. After remaining one 
or two days these canes become filled with a whitish-colored thick 
juice, which turns black when exposed to the air, and can be preserved 
only byimmersion in water. Allkinds of domestic furniture and utensils 
are lacquered with this juice, which is laid on thinly and dried slowly, 
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