CAOUTCHOUC TEAK-TREE. 151 



or nuts, as they are generally callecl, is rubbed very hard 

 for a minute or two round the inside of the vessel contain, 

 ing the water, which is generally an unglazed earthen one, 

 and the water left to settle ; in a very short time the impu- 

 rities fall to the bottom, leaving the water clear, and, so 

 far as I have been able to learn, perfectly wholesome."* 

 The fruit of another Apocyneous plant (Carissa Caran- 

 das), resembling a black middle-sized plum, is said to make 

 a pickle superior even to that of the mango. Urceola elas- 

 tica, or the elastic gum-vine, is a plant of this order, which 

 yields a viscid milky juice possessing the properties of ca- 

 outchouc. It is an extensive climber, two hundred yards or 

 more in length, winding among the branches of the loftiest 

 trees, and rising above them into the open air. The milk, 

 when exposed to the atmosphere, beoomes solid ; and by 

 means of it Mr. Howison succeeded in rendering cloth 

 waterproof, and suggested that it might be applied to 

 the making of hats, great-coats, tents, coverings for car- 

 riages, &c. The plant grows in Sumatra also, and Dr. 

 Roxburgh believes that the Chinese make their elastic 

 rings from its juice. 



VEEBENACE^. 



One of the largest Indian trees, and one of the most val- 

 uable for its excellent timber, is referred to this family, — the 

 teak {Tectona grandis). The trunk is erect, lofty, and 

 of an enormous size, the leaves above twenty inches long 

 and a foot or more in width, the flowers small, white, and 

 fragrant, and collected into very large panicles. It is a 

 native of various parts of India, and was introduced into 

 Bengal by Lord Cornwallis and Colonel Kydd. 



Long experience has proved the wood of this tree to be 

 the most useful timber in Asia. It is light, easily worked, 

 and at the same time strong and durable. For ship-building 

 it is considered equal to oak, and many of the vessels trad- 

 ing between this country and India are constructed of it. 

 That which grows near the banks of the Godavery is beau- 

 tifully veined, closer in the grain, and heavier. 



* Plants of Coromandel. 



