260 
ON  STORAX. 
to  Lieut.  Campbell)  made  into  bundles  and  reserved  for  the  pur- 
pose of  fumigation.  The  inner  bark  is  then  scraped  off  with  a 
semi-circular  or  sickle-shaped  knife  and  thrown  into  pits  until  a 
sufficient  quantity  has  been  collected.  Mr.  Maltass  states  that 
it  is  then  packed  into  strong  horse-hair  bags  and  subjected  to 
pressure  in  a  wooden  lever  press.  Upon  removal  from  the  press, 
hot  water  is  thrown  over  the  bags  and  they  are  pressed  a  second 
time,  after  which  the  greater  portion  of  the  resin  will  have  been 
extracted. 
Lieut.  Campbell's  account  is  a  little  different :  he  says  the  inner 
bark  is  boiled  in  water  over  a  brisk  fire,  upon  which  the  resinous 
part  comes  to  the  surface  and  is  skimmed  off.  The  boiled  bark 
is  next  put  into  hair  sacks  and  pressed,  boiling  water  being  added 
to  assist  in  the  extraction  of  the  resin,  or,  as  it  is  termed,  yagh 
(i.  e.  oil) 
Dr.  McGrath  says  that  the  Storax  collectors,  who  are  chiefly 
a  tribe  of  wandering  Turcomans  called  Yuruhs,  are  armed  with 
a  triangular  iron  scraper  with  which  they  scrape  off,  together 
with  the  juice  of  the  tree,  a  certain  quantity  of  bark,  which  they 
collect  in  leathern  pouches  suspended  to  their  belts.  When  a 
sufficient  quantity  has  been  obtained,  it  is  boiled  in  a  large  copper 
and  the  separate  liquid  resin  is  run  into  barrels.  The  residual 
bark  is  placed  in  hair-cloth  and  and  pressed  in  a  rude  press,  the 
extracted  resin  being  added  to  the  general  mass. 
The  product  obtained  by  the  processes  here  described,  is  the 
grey,  opaque,  semi-fluid  resin,  well  known  as  Liquid  Storax, 
The  bark  from  which  the  Liquid  Storax  has  been  extracted, 
is  emptied  out  of  the  bags  and  exposed  in  the  sun  to  dry,  after 
which  it  is  shipped  to  the  Greek  and  Turkish  islands  and  to  many 
towns  in  Turkey,  where  it  is  much  esteemed  for  the  purpose  of 
fumigation,  although  since  the  disappearance  of  the  plague,  its 
employment  has  greatly  diminished. 
This  is  the  substance  known  to  pharmacologists  as  Cortex 
Thymiamatis  or  Storax  Bark,  as  is  proved  by  abundant  speci- 
mens sent  me  by  Mr.  Maltass. 
Adulteration. — Mr.  Maltass  says  that  Liquid  Storax  is 
rarely  pure,  being  adulterated  by  the  admixture  of  sand  and 
ashes. 
Commerce.— Lieut.  Campbell   states  that  the  quantity  of 
