MANUFACTURE  OF  BALSAM  OF  PERU.  147 
boiler,  throe- quarters  filled  with  water,  and  stirred  and  boiled  gently  until 
the  rags  appear  nearly  clean,  and  the  now  dark  and  heavy  balsam  sinks 
to  the  bottom.  Fresh  rags  belonging  to  the  same  owner  are  continually 
being  put  into  the  boiler  until  sun-down,  when  the  fire  is  extinguished  ; 
when  cold  the  water  in  the  boiler  is  poured  off,  and  the  impure  balsam 
set  aside.  During  this  process  the  rags  that  appear  to  have  been  cleared 
of  balsam  are  taken  out  of  the  boiler  at  different  times  and  given  to  a 
man  to  be  pressed,  by  which  means  much  balsam  is  still  obtained.  The 
press  consists  of  a  small  open  bag  about  fourteen  inches  long,  made  of 
stout  rope  fixed  together  with  twine,  open  at  the  middle  and  looped  at  both 
ends  to  receive  two  sticks.  The  rags  are  placed  inside,  and  the  whole  is 
twisted  round  by  means  of  the  sticks  and  the  balsam  thus  squeezed  out. 
A  washer- woman  wringing  out  a  wet  cloth,  fairly  represents  the  process. 
The  balsam  thus  procured  is  added  to  that  in  the  boiler.  The  next  day, 
the  cold  balsam  is  weighed  and  put  into  iecomates  or  gourds  of  different 
sizes  and  sent  to  market : — its  price  at  present  is  5  reals  per  pound.  If  it 
is  wished  to  purify  it,  the  boiler  is  left  standing  for  several  days,  when  the 
impurities  float  to  the  surface  and  are  skimmed  off.  A  little  water  is  also 
left  to  float  at  the  mouth  of  the  tecomate  when  brought  for  sale.  These 
iecomates  are  tied  up  in  plantain  leaves,  with  a  stopper  of  the  same. 
A  very  fine  quality  of  balsam  is  collected  from  the  broken  pods  in  the 
same  manner  as  above.*  It  requires  more  trouble  and  care  to  collect, 
and  there  being  no  demand  for  it,  it  is  scarcely  ever  met  with.  I  believe 
it  is  known  as  Balsamo  bianco.  From  the  flowers  there  is  distilled  a  most 
delicious  and  fragrant  aguardiente,  far  superior  to  any  brandy. 
A  healthy  tree  will  produce  balsam  well  for  about  thirty  years,  after 
which,  if  allowed  to  remain  untouched  for  five  or  six  years,  it  will  again 
produce.  The  collecting  begins  shortly  after  the  last  rains,  that  is,  some 
time  in  November,  and  is  supposed  to  be  finished  in  May.  During  the 
rains  none  is  collected.  In  the  dog-days,  that  is  from  the  15  July  to  the 
15  August,  there  being  scarcely  any  rain  here,  a  small  quantity  is  collect- 
ed by  a  few  enterprising  Indians. 
The  beating,  and  application  of  rags  is  only  made  during  four  days  of 
each  week,  that  is  four  cosechas  (harvests)  per  month.  Should  the  flow 
of  resin  decrease,  fresh  heating  and  rags  are  applied,  and  after  eight  days 
the  boiling  is  resumed,  and  so  on  as  iang  as  the  dry  season  permits.  It 
was  formerly  the  practice  to  apply  fire  to  cuts  made  in  the  bark  and  to 
allow  the  exuding  resin  to  burn  for  a  short  time  :  now  after  a  good  beat- 
ing the  baik  is  only  heated  by  torches  or  burning  wood. 
I  believe  I  mentioned  to  you  that  before  the  conquest  and  for  a  short 
time  after,  balsam  formed  a  part  of  the  tribute  paid  to  the  chiefs  of  Cus 
*  It  is  more  probably  made  by  simple  expression,  and  not  by  boiling. — 
D.  H. 
