ON  THE  PRODUCTION  OF  BALSAM  OF  PERU.  303 
high  estimation,  that  in  1562,  Pio  IV,  and  in  1571,  Pio  V, 
issued  orders  authorizing  the  clergy  to  use  this  precious  balsam 
in  the  consecration  of  the  "  Sagrada  Qrisma"  and  pronounced 
it  sacrilege  to  destroy  or  injure  the  trees  producing  it.  Copies 
of  these  Bulls  are,  I  am  informed,  still  in  existence  among  the 
archives  of  Guatemala. 
The  tree  is  handsome,  rather  widely  branching  below,  dimin- 
ishing at  top,  and  about  50  feet  high.  The  flowers,  which  are 
very  odoriferous,  appear  in  the  latter  part  of  September  and 
beginning  of  October,  at  the  extremities  of  the  branches,  gene- 
rally in  pairs,  numerous  on  each  stem,  white  and  unequal, 
calyx  of  a  pale,  bluish  green,  and  very  glutinous,  from  exuding 
balsam.  Leaves  of  a  dark  shining  green.  The  fruit  is  almond- 
shaped,  winged,  and  containing  a  white  kernel,  with  much 
balsam. 
A  very  superior  balsam  is  sometimes  collected  from  the 
flowers,  but  is  very  scarce,  and  never  found  in  commerce.  The 
tree  produces  after  five  years  growth,  and  attains  a  great  age.  It 
prefers  a  dry  and  poor  soil,  but  is  never  found  above  an  alti- 
tude of  one  thousand  feet.  The  aroma  is  perceived  at  a  dis- 
tance of  more  than  100  yards.  The  tree  having  attained  the 
proper  age,  5  or  6  years,  the  ccseche,  or  collecting,  begins  with 
the  dry  season  early  in  November.  The  bark,  for  some  distance 
up,  is  well  beaten  on  four  sides  with  the  back  of  an  axe,  or 
other  blunt  instrument,  until  it  has  separated  from  the  woody 
part,  but  without  injury  or  breaking.  This  requires  great  care. 
In  performing  this  operation,  four  intermediate  strips  of  bark 
are  left  untouched,  so  as  not  to  destroy  the  vitality  of  the  tree. 
Several  notches  or  cuts  are  now  made  in  the  portions  of 
beaten  bark,  with  a  sharp  machite,  and  fire  is  applied  to  the  open- 
ings. The  exuding  balsam  kindles  and  is  allowed  to  burn  for  a 
certain  time,  and  then  extinguished. 
The  tree  in  this  state  is  left  for  fifteen  days,  and  carefully  watch- 
ed; after  which  time  the  balsam,  which  begins  to  run  copiously,  is 
received  on  cotton  rags,  stuffed  into  the  cuts.  When  saturated, 
they  are  pressed  and  thrown  into  earthenware  pots,  with  boiling 
water,  on  which  the  balsam  soon  floats  like  oil.  It  is  occasion- 
ally skimmed  off  and  thrown  into  clean  jars,  while  fresh  rag? 
are  added.    The  extraction  from  the  tree  is  only  made  during 
