LICHEN AS FOOD. 



Sll 



fs converted Into jelly. They eat it either hot or cold, with an 

 additional portion ot whey or milk. 



' According to Benzelias, the Laplanders boil the lichen in 

 one or two Waters and throw away the decoction. They 

 afterwards wash it in cold water and boil it in milk, after having 

 crushed it. This soup is seasoned for use with salt. The 

 author shows that a part of the nutriment is thrown away 

 along with the decoction. 



Some Swedish botanists, who travelled in Lapland during 

 the summer of 1788, when the north of Germany and the 

 west of Bothnia, were afflicted with a cruel famine, subsi'^ted 

 upon it for a fortnight. They soaked it all night in hot water, 

 and in the morning they boiled it wiih milk. 



Scopoli informs us that, in Carniola, there is no food it is very non- 

 known which fattens animals so speedily as this lichen. Lean li^hing to am- 

 horses and oxen are taken to the places where it abounds, and 

 in less than four weeks they become very hearty and fat. 



According to Pallas, the people of the northern part of 

 Asiatic Nessia support themselves upon a lichen when their i 



other provisions fall short. 



After these introductory particulars our author proceeds to 

 give the result of his observations and experiments. 



The lichen is cleaned by picking out the mosses and frag- Method of pre- 

 wrents of wood, and washing away any earth which may he paring it pre- 

 among its roots, by rubbmg it with the hands under water. •, 

 A very short time of immersion in cold water restores the 

 colour and humidity of this vegetable, and more than doubles 

 its weight. In order that the water may extract its- biUerness, 

 it is necessary to crush or divide its parts by cutting or pound- 

 ing In this state water extracts, in the course of three 

 hours, a bitter and slightly yellow juice, not absolutely disa- 

 greeable, but very supportable when the plant is prepared ' 

 by simple boiling, without maceration. The extraction of the 

 bitter principle by cold water diminishes the weight about Cold water 

 three parts in the hundred. Hot water takes out the bitter- [^.^^^ ^^^J" ^'* 

 ness more speedily, but at the same time extracts" about an 

 equal quantity of the nutriment. But this trifling loss is com- 

 pensated by the speed with which the effect is produced. The 

 bitter principle is an extractive matter, which strikes a brown 

 with iron, and is used for that purpose by the Icelanders. It 

 U 2 is 



bitterniess, 



