CALISAYA BARK. 
105 
a cinchona calisaya tree for a long time without knowing 
it, until a more skilful person recognised it and appropriated 
the spoil. 
At the moment of the separation of the periderm, both of 
the surfaces exposed have a yellow color like the fresh peel of 
the walnut, soon becoming brown like the shell of the 
same. 
The odor is then like that of elder bark, but less decided. 
The taste is strongly bitter, with hardly an admixture of 
astringency, but at the same time somewhat sharp ; this 
bitterness is perceived at the first touch of the tongue. 
From the external surface of the bark, especially when 
it has been contused, there flows a yellow gum resinous 
matter, sometimes a little lactaceous, bitter and styptic, to 
which the cutters attribute all the virtues of cinchona. This 
matter is the same as that which fills all the cells of the 
dermis, and which flows from breaks in the young bark. 
It has appeared to me, however, contrary to the opinion of 
the Cascarilleros that it was much less bitter than the juice 
of the inner face of the bark. It stains the clothes dull red, 
and its presence more or less influences the color of the bark 
in drying. The Cascarilleros are of opinion that the abun- 
dance of milk, as it is called, greater as it is in the C. cali- 
saya, retards its desiccation. It is by the effect of bruising 
that the juice is spread over the surface of the separated 
bark; the contused points are then seen of a wine color, which 
is deeper the more they are exposed to the solar rays. I 
have sometimes seen the Cascarilleros irritate the entire 
surface with a hard brush to make it assume this shade. 
The consistence of this bark, when removed from the 
tree, is slight ; it then breaks any way with the greatest 
facility. A good idea of this is conveyed by comparing it 
to the fleshy portion of a mushroom. The Cascarilleros 
highly value this character, which is more decided where 
the bark is best. In the inferior qualities, and in the false 
cinchonas more especially, where the union of the cortical 
