574 



SAPONACEOUS PLANTS 



discoTered tliis secret, and used to import the plant to perfurae 

 articles of their make, and thus palm off homespun shawls as real 

 India I Some people put the dry leaves in a muslin bag, and thus 

 use it as we do lavender, scenting drawers in which liiien is kept ; 

 tills is the best way to use it. as this odor, like musk, is most 

 agreeable when very dilute. — (" Gardeners' Chronicle.") 



The root of some parasitical plant, under the name of kritz, is 

 used in Cashmere to wash the celebrated shawls, soap is used only 

 for white shawls. 



Prom the flowers of the Bengal quince (^^gle marmemolos) a 

 fragant liquid is distilled in Ceylon known as marmala water, 

 which is much used as a perfume for sprinkling by the natives. 



Jasmine oil is distilled from Jasminum samhac and grandifiora. 



SAPONACEors Plants. — 3Iany plants furnish abroad useful sub- 

 stitutes for common soap. The aril which surrounds the seed and 

 the roots of Sapindus Saponaria, an evergreen tree. I have seen used 

 as soap in South America and the West Indies under the name of 

 soap berries. The seed vessels are very acrid, they lather freely in 

 water and will cleanse more Hnen than thii-ty times then- weight of 

 soap, but in time they corrode or buim the linen. Humboldt says 

 that proceeding along the river Garenicuar, in the G-ulf of Cariaco, 

 he saw the Indian women washing their linen with the fruit of 

 tliis tree, there called the parapara. Some other species of Sapin- 

 dus and of GypsopliilaAiSiXe similar properties. The bruised leaves 

 and roots of Saponaria officinalis, a British species, form a lather 

 which much resembles that of soap, and is similarly efficacious in 

 removing grease spots. The barkof many species of Quillaia, as 

 Q. saponaria, when beaten between stones, makes a lather which can 

 be used as a substitute for soap, in washing woollens and silk 

 clothes, and to clean colors in dyeing, in Chili and Brazil, but 

 it tuims linen yellow. The fruit of Bromelia Pinguin is equally 

 useful. A vegetable soap was prepared some years ago in Jamaica 

 from the leaves of the American aloe (Agave Ajnericana) which 

 was found as detergent as Castile soap for washing linen, and had 

 the superior quality of mixing and forming a lather with salt 

 water as well as fresh. Dr. Eobinson, the naturalist, thus describes 

 the process he adopted in 1767, and for which he was awarded a 

 grant by the House of Assembly : — " The lower leaves of the 

 Cui^aca or Coratoe (Agave Jcaj-atu) were passed between heavy 

 rollers to express the juice, which, after being strained through a 

 hair cloth, was merely inspissated by the action of the sun, or a slow 

 fire, and cast into balls or casks. The only precaution necessary 

 was to allow no mixture of any unctuous materials, which destroyed 

 the efficacy of the soap. A vegetable soap, which has been found 

 excellent for washing silk, &c, may be thus obtained. To one 

 part of the skin of the Ackee add one and a half part of the Agave 

 karatu, macerated in one part of boiling water for twenty-four 

 hours, and with the exiract from this decoction mix four per cent, 

 of rosin. In Brazil, soap is made from the ashes of the bassura 

 or broom plant (^Sidu lanceolata') which abounds with alkali. 



