ULMAGEM. 177 



with juice prepared from certain plants 1 which coagulate the 

 caoutchouc. The latter becomes a floating mass in a brown liquor 

 of a cheesy odour ; the mass is subjected to an iron press and then 

 dried. 2 In tropical Asia, in Australia and perhaps also in Angola 

 and Benguela, on the coast of Africa, there are other Artocarpeœ 

 which produce the greater part of the caoutchouc exported. They 

 belong to the genus Ficus and, among a great number of species 

 imperfectly defined, 3 are especially mentioned F. elastica, 4, laccifcra 5 

 and religiosa 6 in Asia, macrophylla 7 and ruiiginosa 8 in Australia. 

 In the province of Assam the former of these is chiefly employed ; 

 incisions are made in the trunk and aerial portions of the roots 

 with a peculiar knife (daos). The juice flows into troughs dug in 

 the ground, or into channels formed by the leaves ; it is richer in 

 caoutchouc during the cold season. It is treated with warm water 

 till it coagulates ; after which it is pressed and dried in the sun. 

 In Java the juice is allowed to dry upon the tree itself. Generally 

 the caoutchouc of Ficus is impure. Even when it contains no bark 

 or earth, it is of less value than the American produce. Besides 

 this substance, now so serviceable in industry domestic economy 

 and medicine, the products of the Fig trees are so numerous and 

 so various tbat it is almost impossible to enumerate all. The 

 common Fig 9 (fig. 124-126) is especially known for the quality of 



1 It is the Coasso and Acheté (Ipomœa bona- Koldchkt in Java). 



nox) that arc previously macerated in the water. 6 Roxb. Fl. lnd. iii. 545. Wight, Icon. t. 656. 



Treated with water only, the juice also coagu- — Urostigma lacctferum Mia. Fl. Ind.-Bat. i. p. 



lates, but much more slowly. ii. 575. — Tnw. Enum. Fl. Zeyl. 265 (But). 



2 It bears the name of tortilla, torta, mens, and 6 W. Spec. iv. 1134. — Roxb. Fl. Ind. iii. 547. 

 weighs dry about a kilogr. When it has been — Urostigma religiosum Gasp. — Arcalu Rheed. 

 dried by contact with the iron, it is rolled into Hart. Malab. i. t. 27 (Aswat, Bogala, Pippa, 

 balls called cabezza. The bola or burueha, is the liai, Figuier des Pagodes). 



caoutchouc dried on the tree itself at the sur- < Desf. ex Peks. Sguops.ii. 609. — Benth. 



face of the incisions : it is the most esteemed in Fl. Austral, vi. 570. — F. Huegelii K.(ex Miq.). — 



the United States, but is little abundant. The Urostigma maerophyllum Miq. Hook. Land. 



loss due to dessiccation, estimated at about 15 Jonrn. vi. 560. 



percent., is called merma (Coll.). 8 Desf. ex Vent. Malmais. t. 114.— Benth. 



3 Or less worked than the others, as F. Tada Fl. Austral, vi. 168.— Bot. Mag. t. 2939.— J?. 

 Reinw. (Urostigma Karet Mia.), nymphœifolia Australia W. Spec. iv. 1138. — Urostigma rubigi- 

 L. (U. nymphœifolium Mia.), populnea W. osurn Gasfauk. N. gen. Fie. 7 ; Hie. Caprif. 82, 

 indien L. elliptiea H. B. K. prinoides H. B. K. t. 7, fig. 6-13. 



(which give the caoutchouc de Guaduas in Colom- 9 Ficus Carica L. Spec. 1513. — W. Spec. iv. 



bia), gitmmif era Mia. BadulaW. (Pharmascosgce 1131. — Roxb. Fl. Ind. iii. 528. — Guib. op. 



Radula Mia.), anthebninthiea Mart. etc. cit. ii. 317. — Endl. Euchirid. 166 — Mék. et 



4 Roxb. Fl. Ind. iii. 541.— Guib. Drag. Simp/. Del. Diet. Mat. Méd. iii. 254. — Lindl. Fl. Méd. 

 éd. 6, ii. 319.— Lindl. Fl. Med. 298.— Endl. 298.— Gren. et Godr. Fl. de Fr. iii. 103.— Beko 

 Enchirid. 166. — Bosenth. op. cit. 195.— Coll. et Schm. Darst. Of. Gew. t. 19 a.— Flueck. et 

 Rep. on Caoutch. 18. — Urostigma elasticum Mia. Hanb. Pharmacogr. 487. (Bou, Arbre à cariques). 

 (Kusnir, Easmeer in India, Pohan Karet, 



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