304  ON  THE  PRODUCTION  OF  BALSAM  OF  PERU. 
four  days  of  each  week,  that  is,  four  coseches  per  month  for 
each  tree,  and  the  average  produce  is  from  3  to  5  pounds  per 
week.  As  soon  as  the  supply  begins  to  fail,  fresh  cuts  are 
made  in  the  bark,  fire  again  applied,  and  after  the  15  days' 
rest,  the  extraction  is  resumed.  In  this  manner  the  collecting 
continues  until  the  first  rains  appear  in  April  or  May,  when  all 
trabajo  or  work  ceases. 
When  thus  prepared,  the  balsam  is  of  a  very  dark  brown  color, 
dirty,  and  of  the  consistence  of  turpentine.  It  is  cleared  and 
cleaned  on  the  spot,  by  settling  and  re-boiling,  when  the  impure 
parts  rise  to  the  surface  and  are  skimmed  off.  This  impure  part 
is  sold  for  manufacturing  an  inferior  tincture,  used  medicinally 
among  the  Indians. 
The  balsam  in  this  state  is  purchased  on  the  coast,  at  an 
average  of  from  3  to  4  reals  per  pound.  It  sometimes  undergoes 
a  second  clearing,  when  it  fetches  a  higher  price  as  "  refinado." 
When  first  cleaned  it  is  of  an  amber  color,  which  darkens  on 
cooling  ;  finally,  after  a  few  weeks,  it  becomes  dark  brown. 
A  good  tree,  with  careful  usage,  will  produce  well  for  30 
years,  after  which  it  is  allowed  to  remain  5  or  6  years  at  rest, 
or  as  the  Indians  say,  to  renew  its  strength.  After  this  period 
it  will  again  yield  for  several  years. 
The  wood  is  very  elastic,  hard,  close-grained  and  of  a  dark 
reddish  brown  and  yellow  color.    It  takes  a  good  polish. 
It  has  been  asserted  that  there  are  two  or  three  varieties  of 
balsam  trees  on  this  coast ;  as  far  as  the  knowledge  of  the 
Indians  and  my  own  researches  extend,  such  is  not  the  case. 
Only  the  one  species  exists,  the  Balsamo  negro  ;  neither  is  the 
B.  bianco  found  here,  although  the  produce  of  the  '«  Cort6s 
bianco"  may  have  been  sold  under  that  name.  This  produce 
is  as  highly  esteemed  throughout  the  country  for  its  curative 
properties  as  the  B.  negro,  but  the  tree,  flower  and  fruit  are 
entirely  different.  The  balsamito  is  an  alcoholic  extract  from 
the  fresh  and  young  seeds,  when  broken,  and  is  really  a  valuable 
medicine,  in  use  here  as  a  tonic  and  stimulant. 
An  Aguardiente  de  Balsamo,  made  from  the  flowers,  is  some- 
times prepared  on  the  principal  haciendas.  It  resembles  a 
liqueur,  and  is  very  scarce  and  expensive. 
The  Indian  Pueblos  on  the  coast,  that  supply  the  market  of 
