Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1889-09-13
THE COW TREE.
VEGETABLE JUICE THAT CLOSE
LIZ RESEMBLES MILK.
IL IS Wholesome and is Used as
All Article Of Food in Some
Places-Whcrc the Cow
Trees Crow

NiHeuoA iHCluUe pants tu1t are Cnarac-
;erized by the secretion of fluid closely
resembling milk in appearance and con-
sistency, and Il familiar example of these
Is to be seen i'll our common milkweed,
which is well known to everybody. In
some plants this milky fluid is of the
most venomous nature; in others, it pos
sesses active medicinal virtue; in others.
1t yields product (such as India rubber
and Sutta percha) OF the highest impor-
lance to the arts and industries; and, in
others still, 1t proves of value as Il human
aliment. Since the same general proper
ties characterize the plants of each nat
urai family, it seems I'M anomaly that, in
the same order, we should find the species
OF one genus producing lactesccnt fluid
of highly poisonous nature, aud those of
another yielding one that is cnurely in
nocuous. Yet such is often the case, and
we have striking example of it in the
bread fruit order, which on the one hand,
includes the celebrated upas tree of Java,
which, when pierced, exudcs milky
juice containing an acrid virulent poison
(antiarin), the smallest quantity of which
will kill the largest snimal, and, on the
other, the famous Brosimum utili of South
America, which yields copious supply
OF rich, wholesome milk, of us good a
quality rs that from the COW.
There are several other instances in the
vegetable Kingdom of such IN associa-
ton, III the same natural order, of plants
that produce noXiOus lnctcsccnt Juice
with others which yield wholesome one
/ adapted for mans use, and which NAV,
therefore hn 1pSi tnI
cows" To speak Only of the latter class.
the most remarkable example in the spc-
cies of Brosimum just mentioned. which
was discovered and made known by the
celebrated traveller Humboldt. This tree
forms extensive forests on the mountains
near the town OF Coriaco, and elsewhere
along the scacoast OF ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
ing TO upward of 100 feet in height, with
q trunk six or eight feet III diameter, and
branchless for the first sixty or seventy
feet OF its height. 1t is popucrly known
rs the COW tree, Palo dc Vnca, or Arbol
dc Leclic. Its milk, which is obtained
by making inclsions in the trunk. so
closely resembles the milk Of the COW.
both i'll appearance and quality, that il is
commonly used rs an article of food by
tree is abundant. Unlike many other
vegetable mill;s, it is perfectly whole
some and very nourishing, possessing an
agreeable taste, like that of sweet cream,
and pleasant balsamic odor, its only I'M
pleasant quality being a slight amount of
sickness. The chemical anlavsis of this
milk has shown it to possess Il compost
ton closely resembling some animal sub
stances, aud like animal milk, it quickly
forms yellow, cheesy scum
upon its surface, and, after Il
few days exposure to the atmos-
pherc, turns sour and puriiics. 1t con
tains upward Of thirty per cent. of Il
resinous substance called galactin by
chemists. Speaking OF this tree, Hum
boldt says: "They uhc nativcs) profess
to recognize, from the color and thick
ness OF the foliage, the trunks that yield
the most juice, rs the hcrtismnn dis
imSnisnes from external signs of Il good
mich COW. Amidst the great number of
curious phenomena that have observed
Ill the course Of my travels, confess there
are lew that have made so powerful an
impression on me as the aspect of the COW
tree. a few drops OF vegetable Juice re-
call to our minds al the powerfunoss and
iecundity OF nature. On the barren flank
OF rock grows Il tree with coriaccous
and dry leaves. It's large woody roots
can scarcely penetrate into the stone.
For several months in the wear. not 4
single shower moistcns its foliage. Its
branches appear dead and dried, but
when the trunk is pierced there flows
from it Il sweet and nourishing milk. II
IS ut the rising of the sun that this we're
table fountain is most abundant. The
natives are then seen fastening from all
quarters, furnished with large bowls TO re-
cci"c The milk, which grows yellow ard
th!ckcns ut the surface. Some empty the
bowls under the tree itself. others carry
the Juice home TO their children"
In the Dogbanc order. the Apocvnacnm
winch includes plants that arc mostly of
Il Vcnomons nature and possess I'M exceed
ingiy acrid and drastic juice, VIC have :,
second example of tree that sccretcs =:
wholesome milk-like fiuid. This is the
cow-tree of Dcmerara, or hya-hva of the
natives. This tree grows in abundance
IN the forests Of British Guiana, and its
bark, when tapped, yields Il copious
supply of thick, sweet milk, resembling
That OF the COW in appearance, but rather
sticky from the presence of caoutchouc.
This milk mixes freely with water, is Of
pleasant flavor, and the natives employ
it as refreshing beverage.
Two "cow-trecs" are employed in the
order Sapotace;e, which embraces numer
Gus plants valuable for their suculent
fruits, such as the marmaladc, star apple,
etc. One of these is called by the natives
massarandaba or aprain, and which Pro
lessor Orion, in the andes and the
Amazons, describes as ono
OF the noblest trees of the
forests of Para. 1t stands from $50 TO
200 feet in height, is 20 feet in circum
ference, and is crowned with vast dome
OF foliage. The milk yielded by the bark
has the consistency of cream, and is used
for tea, coffee and custar(ls. 1t hardens
by exposure, so as to resemble gutta
percha, which, indeed, is the protluct of