The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1908-12-10
COW TREE Of VENEZUELA
II ExudeS a Sap that is Very
Much Like Mix.
or EXCELLENT QUALITY

, pIants Which Are tn a certain De-
gree Rivals cf Cows.
The COW tree of Venezuela y.c,ds
n yaill, of good quality. 1t forms
large forests along the sea coasts OF |
that country. It's milk. which IL OBJ |
taincl by making incisions IN the /
trunk. 80 closely resembles that !
from the COW. both in appearance |
and quality that IS commonly
used by the natives as an article Of
food Unlike many other vegetable
milks Il is perfectly wholeeome and
very nourishing, possessing an agree
able taste. like that of sweet cream.
and pleasant balsamic odor, says
the Lon, on Telegraph. Its only
unpleasant property is slight
amount OF sickness. The chemi-
cal analysis of this milk has shown
Il to POSSESS a composition closely
resembling some animal substances,
and. Ike animal milk, It quickly
forms yellow. cheesy scum upon
its surface. and after few days eX-
posure to the atmosphere turns sour.
tcylon also possess COW tree, tho
milk sap of which according to Bur
nanns Narratives" Is used by the
G nralesee exactly in the same way
that we use milk.
who has not seen our Indigenous
wofs m Tx or spurgc, the white.
milky Juice of which popular super
sttion recommends as an applica-
ton to destroy warts. The spurge
genus. which gives its name to the
order Euplioorblaceae comprises
large number OF species distributed
throughout the whole world.
Caoutchouc is the name given to
the elastic gummy substance which
is popularly known as India rubber.
but which is in modern commerce
the inspissated juice OF va
rious trees and plants growing in
tropical climates, whore the heat
seems to exert n distinct influence
in its perfect formation. The tree
that originally furnished it is COM
mon one in the forests Of Para.
known botancally as Heyea Brazil
iensis. and Il is owing TO French
man that 1t became such an import
ant matter in our manufactures and
commerce. The rubber exists in the
tree In the form of thin white
milk. and is obtained by making in
ccisiong I'm the trunk from which II
exudes; It IS collected in little earth
en- vessels and afterwards converted
iato the black homogeneous elastic
mass familiar to us as rubber, by be-
ing dried over II smoking fire. Ine
trees are capped during the dry sea
son. the milky fluid iG then coagu
lated by the smoking process, anC
soon becomes solid. The discovery
of the art OF yulcaniz,ng this mate
rial and the Introduction of gutti
percha created an extensive brancl
in our manufactures.
Other trees possessing this milk
fluid are grown In various parts AM
include Ccstilloa elastica, whicl
produces Panama rubber, and Ficu
elastica. largely grown in the eas
for the purpose. Funtumia elastic
ind Lando' phia. woody climber
pre West African trees. Maniho
Glaziovll produces the Ceara ruboe
and is closely related TO the plar
which provides the well-known con
modify tapioca. Then we nav
Guayuli rubber, obtained from a
berbaceous plant of the sunnow'
order named Parthenium argent
NUN. Another species yields
milky Juice, in which the natives d
the points OF their fighung app
ances. In the forests or Brti'
Guiana grows tree which the II
tiyes call Hya Hya. Its bark al
pith are so rich in milk that mo
crate sized stem thrown into { fore
brook colors the water quite whl
and milky. Ike Juice Instead OF Dell
acrid and drastic, like that of mai
pllled gen.ra, is bland and whol
some. and when lrawn from
stem yields a thick, sweet MIX IL
that from the COY, and Is largely US
as a refreshing drink. The brea
fruit tree is an important staple
the tropical Islands in the Paci
ocean. Besides the fruit, whlch
cooked and eaten, the milk-sap
turned to account in the form OF
vscous lGteN.
On tree of giant girth' but
dom more than IS feet high rest
outrageous crown branches OF l.
Lanyan or holy fig Of India, so CAL
from its dedication to religious
servances these branches OFTEN
100 feet horizontally out from
trunk, sending down to the grou
at intervals lone straight roc
which quickly penetrate ana ID
firm hold, thus becoming props
the long branches, The brahni
use the leaves as plates from WI
10 eat, and bird lime Is mahui
tured from the tenacious milk )u
which eXudes,
The garden lettuce contains !
other members Of the FANNY