30 



CO IV TREES. 



decoration I am selfish enough to refuse to let them 

 go, for they will hang bits of brightness through the 

 long northern winter, and I cannot spare them. 



To sum up the virtues of the Celash'us scandeiis : 

 first, it is easily obtained, growing quite commonly 

 along the river flats. It is easily transplanted, hav- 

 ing abundant rootlets, or it may be raised from the 

 seed. It is vigorous and free from all vermin. I 



have never seen a worm upon it, and it is beautiful as 

 I have attempted to describe it in summer, autumn 

 and winter. These virtues ought to recommend it, 

 without mentioning the famous "Grandmother's 

 Salve," which mothers, grandmothers and great- 

 great-grandmothers have praised without stint, and 

 which is made from the berries or roots of the Ce- 

 lastrus scaiidens. Bittersweet. 



COW TREES. 



ATTENTION OF VEGETARIANS IS ESPECIALLY REQUESTED. 



Among peculiar products may be classed vege- 

 table milk, and among interesting vegetables, the 

 various cow-trees. It is much to be regretted that 

 the attention of strict vegetarians has not been 

 called to the possibility of excluding animal milk 

 from their dietaries, for had their attention been 

 seriousl}' called to the cow-trees, we would have 

 had more information to offer than this which we 

 have been able to collect from our reading. We 

 have noted eight species of plants which furnish an 

 edible milky sap, belonging to eight genera and 

 seven natural orders. 



Brosiiiiiim galactodciidyo>i (Urticaceae). In 1633, Laet, 

 in his dcscriptio indiariim occidiittaliin, lib. 18, says that 

 in Venezuela there are trees which give out a liquid 

 which coagulates like cheese, and which is eaten at 

 meals. This tree, peculiar to Venezuela, was observed 

 by Humboldt, who says that the vegetable milk of the 

 palo de -'aca [Gaiachydendron utile, H. B. et K.] has an 

 agreeable taste and an aromatic smell. At Caucagua 

 the natives call the tree arbol del leche, milk tree. The 

 further account is quite pastoral. "On the barren 

 flank of a rock grows a tree with coriacious and dry 

 leaves. Its large woody roots can scarcely penetrate 

 into the stone. For several months of the year not a 

 single shower moistens its foliage. Its branches appear 

 dead and dried ; but when the trunk is pierced there 

 flows from it a sweet and nourishing milk. It is at the 

 rising of the sun that this vegetable fountain is most 

 abundant. The negroes and natives are then seen 

 hastening from all quarters, furnished with large bowls 

 to receive the milk, which grows yellow and thickens at 

 its surface. Some empty their bowls under the tree 

 itself; others carry the juice home to their children." 

 Samples of this milk analyzed by Boussingault showed it 

 to contain : — Water, 58. o ; wax, etc., 35.2; sugar, etc., 

 2.8; casein, 1.7 ; alkaline earths, alkalis, phosphate 0.5 ; 

 undetermined 1.8 per cent. Seeds were germinated at 

 Kew Gardens, England, in 1881, and plants sent in 1882 

 to Australia, India, Feejee Islands, Java, Singapore and 

 Ceylon. 



Cliisia galactodendyon (Guttiferae). This is another of 

 the palo de vaca or cow-trees of Venezuela. The milk is 

 said to be used freely by all, especially by children, 



although it has an astringent taste. It is said that one 

 tree of this species will yield a quart in an hour. 



Taberuieinontcina iitilis (Apocyneae). The cow-tree of 

 British Guiana and Demerara is called liya-hya by the 

 natives. The lactescent juice is said to be bland and 

 wholesome, resembling cow's milk in appearance, but 

 rather sticky. Brown says ; "The Indians showed us 

 the milk tree, from an incision in the bark of which we 

 obtained a good flow of thick, white, creamy sap, of a 

 rich nutty flavor, but a little of it went a long way." 

 This tree was described by Arnott in 1830, 



Miiinisops elata (Sapotaceae). The cow-tree of the Am- 

 azon. Herndon says it is called there echenique, and 

 that the fresh milk was used as a food and a beverage. 

 As brought to him, it had a foamy appearance as if just 

 drawn from the cow, and looked very rich and tempting. 

 It, however, coagulates very soon, he says, and becomes 

 as hard and tenacious as glue. Bates says the milk is 

 pleasant with coffee, but has an slight rankness when 

 drank pure. It soon thickens to a glue which is exceed- 

 ingly tenacious. He was told that it was not safe to 

 drink much of it. Wallace says the milk exudes in 

 abundance when the bark is cut ; it has about the con- 

 sistence of thick cream, and but for a very slight pecu- 

 liar taste could scarcely be distinguished from the genu- 

 ine product of the cow. Another authority gives the 

 name of the tree as the Massavanduha . 



Maloiictia hu ti flora (Apocynese). Miers says this is a 

 very lactescent tree, yielding in South America a vege- 

 table milk used by the natives, and also forming a useful 

 varnish, according to Schomburgk. 



Asclepias lactifera ( Asclepiadeae). The cow-tree of 

 Ceylon. Burman relates that when cow's milk is want- 

 ing, or for other reasons, the juice of this plant affords 

 a substitute, and that the leaves are also cooked with 

 foods that require animal milk. 



Euphorbia balsamifera (Euphorbiaceae). In the Canary 

 Islands, this species is called Tabayha diilce and the 

 juice is sweet and harmless, as Humboldt says. The 

 juice is said to be similar to sweet milk, and thickens 

 into a jelly to be used as a delicacy. It is doubtful 

 whether from this scant mention this species should be 

 included among cow-trees. 



Matnjiii!ai-ia simplex (Cacteae). This species is said to 

 yield a sweet, milky and wholesome juice. 



E. Lewis Sturtevant. 



