119 



On the bottom shelf of this compartment observe roots, CASE 

 umbels, and fruits of Tha/jsia (/(uyanica, L., one of the 61. 

 plants supposed to be identical with the Silphium of 

 Oyrenaica ; a blistering substance obtained from the roots 

 is largely used in France in the preparation of plasters. 



Ivy Oj^der {Araliaceae). Resembling the Umbellifers 

 in many respects, but chiefly woody-stemmed ; many of 

 the species grow in hot countries. 



No. 305. Virginian Sarsaparilla, the climbing 

 stem of Aralia nudicauUSy L., used medicinally in the 

 United States. 



No. 306. Ginseng, the root of Aralia qiibiqaefuUa, 

 Decne. and Planch., var. ginseng^ Reg. and Maack, native 

 of North China. So highly valued as a tonic and stimulant 

 medicine in China that it is sold at from 20 to 250 times 

 its weight in silver, sometimes for 500 times this amount. 

 Ginseng is a Government monopoly in Corea and the 

 principal article of export from that country to China. 

 During 1905, China received from Corea 107,485 lbs. of 

 Red Ginseng of the value of £112,351. This variety of 

 Ginseng ranks in quality next to Manchurian or Imperial 

 and is prepared for export by steaming the roots for .about 

 four hours in wicker baskets enclosed in a closely fitting 

 earthenware vessel pierced at the bottom with holes and 

 placed over boiling -water. 



Note also roots of A. qainquefolia^ Decne. and Planch., 

 from North America, having slight demulcent properties, 

 collected in the Alleghany highlands from Pennsylvania 

 to Tennessee and sold at a dollar a pound for exportation 

 to China as a substitute for the Eastern product. The 

 average importation (of twentj' years) mainly through 

 Hong Kong is about 400,000 lbs. It is ranked by the 

 Chinese as about fourth in quality, Japanese being the 

 legist esteemed. 



No. 307. Rice Paper. An instructive series, 

 continued in the next case, illustrating the preparation of 

 the " paper " from the pith of Fatsia, iKipyrifera^ Bth. & 

 Hook, f., a tree of Formosa : — the large knives used to CASE 

 cut sheets from the cylinders of pith, specimens of the 62. 

 paper made into bundles (100 squares of about %\ or 



