, 1876-03-10

For the PUGET SOUND WEEKLY ARGUSl
In many persons. there is an in
tense morbid craving for vegetable
narcotics which science has failed to
explain. To such persons the chew
ing Of these substances seems as
natural and as pleasant as the chew
ing of the cud to the ruminant. There
is fascination in the habit so strong
as to be almost irresistible. The in
stances Of an inveterate chewer eeas-
ing to chew are quite exceptional.
Of those who have tried to overcome
the habit only few have succeeded.
The chewer of tobacco would rather
sacrifice half a meal than the quid
which invariably follows it and the
chewer of the betel nut is tormented
by craving still more urgent. When
the habit of betel nut chewing has
become firmly. established, it is ut
terly iperadicable, and the victim of
this habit becomes the veriest. slave.
Deprived of the means Of gratifying
his ruling passion he is unspeakably
wretched, and would give his life for
a chew. The craving is incessant,
and in trying to satisfy it, he wears
out his teeth, his gums and his di-
gestion; and he dies at last still un-
satis6ed-still hungering for another
quid.
But what is the betel nutP What
does it look like ? On what tree
does it grow? And in what country
! The betel nut grows on/a species
of palm known as the "areca cate
chu" and it (the mutt is called by the
natives "penang." As taken from
the tree it is about the size Of a small
Ipullet's egg; of bright yellow color,
and enclosed in husk similar to that
of the cocoa nut. The kernel within
the husk has very much the appear
ance of a nutmeg. The areca palm
thriyes well in most parts Of tropical
India, the Indian Archipelago and
the Philippine Islands. On the Is
land of Java there are large planta-
tions of it to meet the demand for
home consumption and that Of dis
tant countries and provinces. 1t is a
very graceful tree Of about thirty feet
in height and eight inches in diam
eter, and at the age of six years it
begins to bear.
In preparing his quid the betel
nut chewer breaks off a bit of the
nut and wraps it in a peculiar leaf
the leaf of the "betel." This is an
evergreen creeping or climbing
plant, like the ivy, having a leaf
somewhat resembling the citron. 1t
is a.species of pepper and is exten-
sively cultivated for the purpose of
being used as a wrapper for the
penang, or areca nut. Within this
Leaf, along with the nut, Is wrapped
a small piece of of"chunam," which is a
kind Of burnt lime made out of shells.
The chunam is added for the purpose
of correcting the bitterness of the
betel leaf, as well as increasing the
pleasure of the chewer. And if the
latter is a man of delicate taste and
can afford the expense, he superadds
a little tobacco with view of aug
menting the pleasure to the highest
degree! A quid thus composed con
sists then, of four ingredients; viz,
a betel leaf, piece of penang, a bit
| of lime, and scrap of tobacco. This
lexquisite combination affords the
acme of luxury to the chewer, leav-
ling nothing to be desiredl
1 Betel nut chewing, it is scarcely
necessary to say, is habit peculiar
to eastern nations. Under the use
of the nut the gums and mucuous
membrane Of the mouth are stained
a brick red, the teeth erumble to q
level with the gums, and in that con-
dition the confirmed cheWer is
wretnhed without supply. BE lit
orally chews himself outl No appeal
has any influence to check him. No
reasoning viii convince him that be
is violating a law of organic life, and
consequently he must speedily die.
He Graves and chews, until finally he
yields up the ghost, still unsatisied.
FILlUs.
Fort townsend, W.T..