THE CISTUS 
253 
lands is in great request as a perfume, and is very often 
used in fumigations in this countr}'. 
This resinous substance is secreted by the leaves and 
stems of the cistus, and was, on account of its fragrant 
property, much valued by the ancients, who called it 
ledon. They were accustomed to obtain it in consider- 
able quantities from the Isle of Cyprus, which was long 
famous for producing it. 
A strange tale is told of the method by which the la- 
danum was formerly gathered. The leaves and branches 
of the cistus emit this gum in drops as clear as turpentine. 
In its native sunny regions this liquid is profuse upon the 
plant ; though in our colder climate it is only in sufficient 
quantity to render the stems clammy to the touch. The 
goats which browse among the wild thyme and other 
plants of those rocky cliffs on which it often grows, at- 
tracted by its odour, pierce its branches with their teeth, 
and these incisions cause the resin to exude more freely. 
It is said that the drops which flowed down upon the 
beards of these animals, and concreted there, were scraped 
off for the purposes of commerce. 
A more cleanly mode for obtaining this substance is now 
adopted, as a kind of rake, to which are attached several 
leathern thongs, is scraped over the plant during the 
hottest days of the season, at which time the liquid ap- 
pears upon it in greatest quantity. The drops are then 
collected and made up into cakes, which the Greeks too 
often adulterate with sand. 
The gum cistus (Cistus ladaniferus) grows in great pro- 
fusion at the foot of Mount Ida, and upon the mountains 
in the vicinity of Canea. The ladanum exhales, while 
burning, an aromatic odour; and this drug is also valuable 
for its tonic properties. 
The exudation of the resinous substance from the cistus 
must be regarded as an effort of the plant to throw off 
the superabundance of its secretion, and is not, like the 
honey-dew, a symptom of the unhealthy state of the vege- 
table. This latter substance is the gummy, sweet fluid 
found upon the foliage of some plants, and is very hurtful 
to them, especially to the hops. It is generally considered 
to arise from an injury done to the root by the caterpillar 
of a common moth. 
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