The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1884-12-17

J.. Abd-Allatif, in speaking of the
balm tree, expresses himself in the fol-
lowing manner: "The tree which fur
nishes the balsam bears no fruit; they
take cuttings of the tree, which, planted
in the month of SchObGt, take root and
grow" Add .Allatiff, p. %.
2. "The wild male balm tree has
modification, but yields no balsam. 1t
is found in Nedjd (interior of Arabia,
1rdns.) in Tehama Con the coast, To;
in the deserts of Arabia, the maratime
countries of Yemen, and in Persia; it is
known under the name of bdschom."
Abd-All, p. %.
5. Prosper Alpin speaks of it thus:
"Omnes unO ore 06irmdnt prOpe
Meccham ct Medina, an montibats, plants,
cults dtgue incuItis lOcis, iaat,merds bal
sdnli pldntds spOnte ndtds spectdri, plara-
mdsqae etianl in dee1lOsis steriIibusque To-
cas-, qete tdmen eel niltil eel minimum succi
procurement. Multa tomen semiaG fe-
runt." PRosP. ALP. of Balls. dial. chap.
II, p. IA. DE SAcY, p. 93.
4. A Spanish Arab author, speaking of
Mecca, says: "Some persons say that
the bdsckdm (balm tree) has not flower
and fruit with their parts. The truth is,
however, quite the contrary. At least,
if there are districts where such is the
case, there are others in which it is not
true. The same may be said of the sor-
bier (service tree, IrGns.,) the papyrus,
&C." ABoUL-ABBAs NEBATI. Man. Ar.
of the Imp. Lib. No. 1,071. DE SAcY,
p. 81.
5. The author of the Gdeoib dladiaiJ
says: "One finds in Egypt, in Mataree-
yah (anc. Heliopolis Trans balm pits
from whence water is taken to sprinkle
the bushes of balm, which furnish Il
precious oil. 1t is to the pits that this
quality is due, for there the Messiah
was washed. There is not i'll all the
world anotherplace where the balm tree
will grow. Almelic-Alcamel asked per-
mission of his father Adel to sow the
seed elsewhere. Having obtained it, he
planted, but his bushes did not succeed,
and one could draw no oil from them.
Almelic-AIcamel demanded, and obtain
ed still of his father, permission to con-
duct to his plant the water of Mataree-
yah, but he had no better success" Ar.
MSS. of the Imp. Lib. 79l. DE SAcY, ,
lp. 80.
6. Vaudeville reports the following:
Hos dr6ores sen drbustd bdlsdme ficit
quonddm qUid0m de cdliphis 1Eggph de
loco Engdddi, imtermdre MortuuD, ct Jeri-
co, ubi domino colente e,rcreperdt, eradi-
cara, ct an dgrO lredicto (Cdgr) plantayi.
Est tamen mird1sduDa, qtod obicumQate
abb, sire prope siee remote plGatantur,
guamris forte Uiredat ct elurgGnt, tGnaen
non fructifcant. MAND. Chap. 8, p. 81.
In Haktuy's collection, 1859. M. de
Sacy, p. 81. -ie
From these pages result the following
facts: The balm or balsam tree (amdrys
OpObdlsdDaatnl, IT, in wild state fruits,
and reproduces itself by seed, and gives
none or very little, of this sap called
balm. (Nos. and b. a
In state of culture it does not fruit,
but gives, upon incision, a large quantity
of balm. (No. ~ But it does not suffice
to take wild trees in the woods and cul-
tivate them in order to obtain this
change. The difference is due to the
nature of the individual, which has one
of the different properties. Even when
a treeis found uniting the two properties
its descendants preserve not that OF their
father. They fruit, but do not yield
balm. s(No. 81 The tree which fruits is
multiplied by seed; thatwhich bears no
fruit is multiplied by cuttings. The first
Il and y sncyer in gardens, because we
pull it up as soon as it appears; the
second is ordinarily only in cultivated
places, as it requires the hand Of man
for multiplying itself; yet we sometimes
find it among the wild ones; then it is.
taken to the garden, and cultivated.
.(No. 81 S#&.&..E 81 ,a.&ae s&8G
Because of these accidents, which
contradict common experience, fables
have been created on the subject, and
one attributes the power of yielding
balm to the quality Of the soil, another
to miraculous causes. F9