CALABRIAN MANNA. 



367 



it at Cosenza, lie expressed much surprise, and declared it to be 

 unlike any Sicilian manna he had seen. 



No specimen of Calabrian rnanua was contributed to the 

 Italian Exhibition held at Florence in 1861; but there appear 

 to have been three samples from Eogliano in the London 

 Exhibition of the following year. 1 



From what I have already stated the conclusion, is I think, 

 irresistible, that Calabrian manna as an article of commerce 

 has practically ceased to exist, and that the collection of manna 

 in that part of Italy is on the verge of extinction. 



I regret that when at Kossano I was unable to visit the woods 

 of Ornus, which undoubtedly exist in that vicinity. But the 

 habits of the Calabrian peasantry are such that it is impossible 

 for travellers to quit the high roads without personal danger. 



The better to inform myself of manna-industry, and especially 

 that I might become well-acquainted with the tree, I afterwards 

 paid a visit to the manna plantations of Capaci near Palermo. 

 I also inspected the trees which are cultivated at the Institute 

 Agraria Castelnuovo near that city, 2 and in the park of La 

 Favorita. But as the time of my visit (May 16-22) was not 

 that for collecting the drug, I have no details of particular 

 novelty to communicate. 



Kespectirig the manna-ash itself, however, I wish to say a 

 few words. It has often been stated, as in the British Phar- 

 'macopoeia (for which in this case I presume the Prodromus of 

 De Candolle is the authority), that there are two species of 

 manna-ash, namely, Fraxinus ornus, L., and F. rotundifolia. 

 Many modern writers on pharmacology admit but a single 

 species, F. ornus, L., of which F. rotundifolia is stated to be 

 a cultivated variety peculiar to Calabria and Sicily, and pro- 

 pagated by grafting. 



I do not think either statement satisfactory. F. ornus is 

 very variable even in its wild state, and in the same locality. 



1 They were contributed by Signer Giovanni Morrelli of Rogliano, 

 Calabria. 



* A most interesting agricultural college founded by private munificence, 

 where twenty-two lads are studying scientific and practical husbandry under 

 the able directorship of Professor Inzengn. 



1872. 



Commercial 

 Calabrian 

 Manna ex- 

 tinct. 



Manna plan- 

 tations near 

 Palermo. 



Fraxinui 

 ornus and 

 F. rotundi- 

 folia, B.P. 



