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ARBORETUM AND FRUTICETUM.

PART 111.

which the following is abridged : — “ The juice of pine and fir trees, like thatof the Pistacia Terebinthus, has an austere astringent taste; it is viscid andtransparent, readily inflammable, and easily becomes concrete. In distillationwith water, it yields a highly penetrating essential oil; and the liquor is foundto be impregnated with an acid, a brittle resinous matter remaining behind.Digestion with rectified spirit of wine completely dissolves all the resinouspart, along with which some portion of the insipid gum, or mucilage, is alsotaken up. If this solution be filtered, and diluted largely with water, it be-comes turbid, and throws off the greatest part of the oil, the gummy substancebeing retained. If the solution be subjected to distillation, the spirit bringsover with it some of the lighter oil, so as to be sensibly impregnated with itsterebinthinate odour; and it leaves behind an extract differing from the rosinseparated by water, in having an admixture of mucilage. The native juicebecomes miscible in water hy the mediation of the yolk or the white of anegg, or by that of vegetable mucilage, and forms a milky liquor. Exposed tothe immediate action of fire, the roots, and other hard parts of the tree, pro-duce a thick, black, empyreumatic fluid, which, containing a proportion ofsaline and other matter mixed with the resinous and the oily, proves solublein aqueous liquors, and, according to its several modifications, constitutesthe varieties of tar and pitch. The resinous residue of the several processes towhich the matter extracted from pines may be subjected constitutes the varie-ties of resin, or rosin, colophony, &c. There are also other products, bothnatural and artificial, much employed in medicine and the arts.” (vol. ii.p. 148.)

Medicinal Virtues. “ Terebinthine substances, when taken internally,seem to warm the viscera, raise the pulse, and impart additional excitementto the whole vascular system. Applied externally, they increase the tone ofthe part, counteract the indolence of action, and deterge, as it were, ill-condi-tioned ulcers.” ( lb .) They also act as gentle aperients, and as diuretics; andthey possess a styptic property. Formerly, they used to be considered as highlyefficacious in pulmonary complaints; and, only a few years since, a gentle-man afflicted with asthma is said to have received immediate relief by inhal-ing the fumes of melted rosin, which he was employing to secure the corksof bottles. The virtues of tar-water were celebrated for curing various dis-eases, about a century ago ; and Dr. Berkeley, Bishop of Cloyne, wrote a longdissertation on the subject, under the title of Siris ; or a Chain of PhilosophicalEeflections and Enquiries concerning the Virtues of Tar- Water. Cullen, and othermedical writers, appear to have believed in its efficacy, and it was thought tostrengthen the tone of the stomach, to excite appetite, and to promote digestion.It was made by pouring a gallon of cold water on a quart of tar, stirring itwell together, and then letting it stand for 48 hours, after which the tar-waterwas strained off for use.

Domestic and Economical Uses of the resinous Products of the Pine and FirTribe. The ancients were accustomed to medicate some of their wines withthe resinous substances of the pine tree, the astringent flavour of which wasalso agreeable to their palates. These wines were supposed to assist diges-tion, restrain ulcerous discharges, and strengthen the bowels; but Dios-corides informs us that they were known to produce vertigo, pain in thehead, and many mischiefs not incident to the same quantity of vinous liquorfree from such admixtures. In modern times, tar and pitch are extensivelyused for the purpose of retarding the decomposition of wood, cordage, andother articles, more especially in marine affairs. Tar alone, or mixed withgrease, or, as in some parts of the Continent, with clay, is much used forgreasing wheels and machinery. Tar is also applied to wounds in horses andcattle, and as a remedy for sheep having the scab. Yellow rosin is employedin the manufacture of common yellow soap, in the proportion of 3 cwt. of ro-sin to 10 cwt. of tallow, both in Europe and America. Shoemaker’s wax is acomposition of pitch, oil, and suet; but it is also made of rosin, bees’ wax, andtallow, as is the grafting wax used in gardening, sometimes with the addition