THE SOURCES OF GUM ABUNDANT. 61 



in the manufacture, by the vulcanizing process, consists in 

 cleaning and crushing the gum, or in' other words, in undoing 

 that which need not have been done. 



On the Pacific coast of South America, the gum is said to be 

 much more abundant, and more easily obtained than in Brazil. 

 The gum which flows spontaneously from the roots of trees that 

 are not tapped, and which is known and has been described, as 

 virgin gum, and which is obtained in masses of from five to 

 thirty pounds, although by no means clean, is decidedly better 

 than that which is smoked. Unfortunately, the present mode of 

 gathering gum, has become too general in Para to be suddenly 

 changed. Another circumstance which tends to retard the 

 change proposed, is the fact that from 1833 to 1835, when spec- 

 ulation raged in gum-elastic in the United States, large quanti- 

 ties of the virgin gum, and also of the gum from the Pacific 

 coast, were sent out to the United States. It was such as is 

 now wanted, and was gathered in the manner already described, 

 by drawing it upon raw hides and into ceroons, but it could not 

 be used, as the manufacture was then conducted. The gum 

 thus exported to the United States remained a long time unsold ; 

 therefore, the change in the manufacture, as well as in the 

 market, m.ust become known, before a change can be expected in 

 the mode of collecting it, or rather before the proper methods 

 which were prematurely adopted, and subsequently checked, 

 will be recommenced. From 1830 to 1835, many large ship- 

 ments arrived from India, of from twenty thousand, to one 

 hundred thousand pounds weight, evidently gathered where it 

 flowed down the sides of the tree, and was stripped off with a 

 mixture of bark. Other parcels of from five thousand, to ten 

 thousand pounds, were brought from Valparaiso in large heavy 

 sheets drawn from the tree upon raw hides, and having the ap- 

 pearance of hides rolled up. Others arrived in ceroons, or bags 

 made of hides. This last article, although in a filthy state, on 

 account of the gum being coagulated in a spongy mass, and the 

 whey being turned to a dark brown color, and dried upon it, be- 

 came quite clean when washed, and, in fact, was of the best 



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