130 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [August i, 1887. 
to the Sultan Osman I. It is a tea made from some 
of the most refreshing and balsamic plants which grow 
at tne feet of the mountains of Mecca and Lebanon. 
It has ell the beneficent qualities of the herbs of these 
countries, and the Sultanas, jealous of their youth and 
beauty, kept the secret for themselves alone. 
" The tea is very refreshing. It faciltates the diges- 
tion, hardens the flesh, clears the complexion, and gives 
it the transparency and freshness of the Rose. The 
assiduous use of this tea, night and morning, will be 
followed with success in every case even when used 
by ladies of advanced age. It has the advantage of 
possessing a most agreeable taste, which has rendered 
it the favourite beverage of the Sultanas." 
The followiug extract is then given from the works 
of Paul Lucas, who, in the history of his third journey 
to the Exst, made by order ot Louis XIV., thus 
writes:— "In my last travels in the Bast I discovered 
the plants from which the Serkys is made. I was 
ignorant then that these plants were known in the 
seraglio, and that the Sultanas used them extensively 
The Serkys is taken like ordinary tea with rum, cream 
&c. After a slight infusion the water becomes 
amber- coloured. The tea has so many different 
tastes that it would be difficult to define them ; it is 
very delicious, and unlike anything we have in Europe. 
I am as-sured that the Sultanas who use it very ire- 
quently long remain youug and rosy. I was enabled 
to convince mycelf of the truth of this assertion. My 
quality of physician to the King of France gained me 
the favour of an introduction to the widow of Hassan 
Phcha, who was dangerously ill. Knowing that it was 
the custom for the two oldest ladies of the seraglio 
to wait upon the Sultana, what was my surprise to see 
wilh her two young persons of twenty-five or thirty 
years. I expressed my surprise to the people near me, 
and to the doctor of her Highness, who was one of 
my friends; they laughed, and assured me that the 
two ladies I believed to be so young were more than 
sixty years old, and that it was the continual drinking 
of the Serkys which had produced such an effect. 
When I had cured the S ultana by means of a plant 
which grows on Mount Argeis, I asked her through 
my friend the doctor for some of this marvellous tea, 
and she gave me a certain quantity, to show her gratitude. 
" I do not intend to publish here the miracles to 
be wrought by means of Serkys, but after having care- 
fully examined it I am able to state that it is a most 
excellent drink for the health; that it renews and 
purifies the blood, thus preventing all skin diseases; 
that its constant use preserves the skin in all its prim- 
itive vigour, and keeps off the germs of all diseases, 
thus maintaining the purity and freshness of youth, 
and constituting a real beauty, and so making all persons 
who use it frequently appear young and beautiful." 
The tea, or rather the infusion, is prepared in the 
same way as Chinese tea. It is recommended to allow 
it to steep or draw not more than three or four 
minutes, and sweeten according to taste. It is sold 
in packets at a high price, the chief depot being in 
Paris, with agencies in London. Probably for the pur- 
pose of preventing the identification of the plants 
used, the leaves are broken up into very small part- 
icles. Upon infusing a sample a strong smell of sage 
is gm-n off, and the flavour of the infusion confirms 
the presence of this plant, though the leaves are so 
much broken that only occasional particles are found. 
Upon microscopical examination Profe>sor Oliver de- 
tected the sieds of a Uhenopodium probably 0. am- 
biobioiiles, the leaf of which also seems to be present, 
mixed, however, with vaiious other leaves apparently 
to increase its bulk.— John K. Jackson, Museum, 
Rojal Gardens, Kew. 1 — Gardeners' Chronicle. 
CAOUTCHOUC-YIELDING PLANTS. 
I gather from Mr. Jackson's remarks iu page 772 
ot 'Lis Journal, under the above heading, that the 
authoi ities at Kew Gardens are taking an interest iu 
mm and similar matters. I was not aware of this 
vi hen my notes weie put together, so that I hope 
tlun cxp'anaii-n will diapel any idea (if such has arisen) 
of disrespectful feeling towards Kew. 
Wilh reference to Mr. Jackson's Yemarks on the 
Many if em intlion and (he Mangabeira (Haucomia spe- 
ciosa) which latter yields Pernambuco rubber, I may 
mention that when I was in Pernambuco a few years 
ago, I pointed out to a gentleman that the Mangabeira 
was an important ruuber tree, and he remarked that 
" even if it Were found to yield iuaiarubher, the tree 
was too valuable for its fruit to work on it for india- 
rubber." 
The Mangifera indica (Anacardiacas), Mr. Jackson 
says, is the mango tree of India. The Mangabeira 
(Hancornia speciosa) is the mango tree of Pernambuco. 
In suggesting that there might be a similarity in 
these plants, I was guided by the etymology of the 
names. We know that the action of the muscles 
concerned in utterance varies, especially in languages 
belonging to the Latin family ; labial sounds are fre- 
quently transferred or blended into dentals, gutturals 
into palatals, and vice versa, so that a modest stretch 
of the imiginacion might have led any one to call these 
plants mango-bearing trees. In languages belonging 
to the Indo-European group this interchange is percept- 
ible, but not so distinct. 
It is a fact that Ueara rubber comes to hand in the 
form of masses made up of "tears," which would lead 
one to believe that the tree is jjunctured ; when the 
sap exudes and dries up, probably closing the puncture; 
on removal of the tear a fresh exudation takes place. 
I have not witnessed the collection of rubber at 
Oeara, but I mention this merely to show that it is 
a very different product from what we know as Per- 
nambuco rubber. Since reading Mr. Jackson's notes, 
I have referred to a work on Brazil by Agassiz and 
his companions, in which an extract appears from 
Gardner's " Geological Notes." Gardner says " that 
a species of Garyoca called pike, a small tree belong- 
ing to the natural order Apocynacese, which pro- 
duces a delicious fruit called Mangaba, is cultivated 
at Ceara. " 
It was this which led me to say this plant was 
the same as the rubber-producing tree of Pernambuco, 
but it was clearly a mistake to give it as the source 
of Oeara rubber, although, in fact, Pernambuco 
rubber is met with in commerce under the name 
of this place or province, and Mangabeira rubber is 
met with in commerce under this distinctive name. 
There is a singular confusion in Gardner's notes, 
which perhaps Mr. Jackson will kindly explain. As 
far as I can see, the Oaryoca does not belong to the 
Apocynaceaa, but to the Esculacese. It seems to me 
that this is an important matter, and deserves clearing 
up, for if it turns out to belong to the Apocynace»,it is 
probably a rubber-producing tree. There is a strong pro- 
bability of its being identical with the Pernambuco tree. 
Mr. Jackson's remark as to the Ohicoracese would 
lead one to believe that because the dried juice of the 
dandelion and allied plants is inelastic, it does not 
contain caoutchouc. 
I give here a translation from the Moniteur Officiel 
(Feb., 1887), respecting the extraction of caoutchouc 
from the Sonchus oleraceus. The process here given 
is pretty much the same which I have employed for 
the examination of milky juices for the last twenty- 
five years, and I can therefore add my testimony to 
its value. The main difference is that I have worked 
on the expressed juices of the fresh plant, whereas 
in this treatment the plant itself is used. 
"To extract caoutchouc from this plant (Sonchus 
oleraceus), the plant is exhausted with bisulphide carbon, 
and the lesidue left on evaporation of the bisulphide 
is treated with boiling alcohol. The insoluble matter, 
which is crude caoutchouc, is warmed with an alcoholic 
solution of potash, and washed repeatedly with warm, 
weak alcohol. 
" Jiy this treatment fatty matters and wax, as well 
as chlorophyl, are removed. The residue is elastic, 
and strongly coloured, it presents all the properties 
of caoutchouc, dissolving entirely in chloroform, and 
bisulphide carbon, and partly in ether. We obtain 4'13 
per cent, extractive matter, - 4l crude caoutchouc, which 
gives "16 when purified. 
"The plant may be exhausted with benzine after 
previous treatment with alcohol ; the residue, on evapor- 
ation of the beDziue, gives '92 per cent, of the weight 
of the plant ; which by treatment with alcohel gives '21 
per ceut. caoutchouc nearly pure." 
