CIIAP. CXIII.

CONl'FERJE. Aa'kIX.

23G7

bark, several depots of liquid resin, contained in cavities which are some-times 1 in. thick, 3 in. or 4 in. broad, and as much in height. In a trunk of40 ft. in length, as many as six of these large reservoirs of liquid resin havebeen found, and several smaller ones. When the wood of a tree cut downin this state is sawed up, a cut with a hatchet will make the turpentine flowabundantly; and the sawyers often find the movement of the saw impeded byit. Young and vigorous larches have none of these reservoirs, which appearnot to be formed till the tree has attained its full growth; and it is conse-quently in this state only that the tree is in a fit condition for being pierced forthe extraction of its resin. The peasants of the Valley of St. Martin, in thePays de Vaud , use augers nearly an inch in diameter, with which they piercethe full-grown larches in different places, beginning at 3 ft. or 4ft. from theground, and mounting gradually to 10 ft. or 12 ft. They choose, generally,the south side of the tree, and, where practicable, the knots formed bybranches which have been broken or cut off, and through which the turpen-tine is seen exuding naturally. The holes are always made in a slantingdirection, in order that the turpentine may flow out of them more freely; andcare is always taken not to penetrate to the centre of the tree. To theseholes are fixed gutters made of larch wood, which are 1 j in. wide, and from15in. to 20 in. long. One of the ends of each gutter terminates in a peg,through the centre of which is bored a hole about l^in. in diameter. Thisend of the gutter is forced into the hole made in the tree, and the other end isled into a small bucket, or trough, which receives the turpentine. In the coun-tries where larches are abundant, says Du Hamel , particularly in the Bri-anyonnais and the Vallais , may be seen, in the fine weather of spring, aprodigious quantity of little buckets at the foot of the trees, each attached toa tree by a slender tube, or gutter, through which the clear limpid turpen-tine, glittering in the sun, trickles down, and soon fills the bucket; whileevery morning and evening, the peasants hasten from tree to tree, examiningtheir buckets, taking away or emptying those that are full, and replacing themwith empty ones. This harvest, if so it may be called, continues from Maytill September; and the turpentine requires no other preparation, to renderit fit for sale, than straining it through a coarse hair cloth, to free it fromleaves, or any other accidental impurities that may have fallen into it. Whena hole made in a tree does not produce turpentine, or when the turpentineceases to flow, the hole is stopped with a peg, and not opened for a fortnightor three weeks. When these holes are reopened, the turpentine is generallyfound to flow from them in greater abundance than from the other holes inthe tree, and they continue to give still more and more, till the flow of theMp is stopped in autumn by the cold. A full-grown healthy larch, if tappedwhen of the proper age, will yield 7 lb. or 8 lb. of turpentine every year, for10 or 50 years.

The wood of a tree from which the resin has been extracted is never usedtor building purposes : it is, indeed, only good to burn; and the charcoalwade from it is very much lighter than, and very inferior in every respect to,that made from larches which have not been deprived of their resin. Theturpentine of the larch is called Venice turpentine, because it used formerlyto be sent to England and the north of Europe only from that commercialc Jty. It should be clear, transparent, free from all impurities, of the con-sistence of a thick syrup, with a bitter taste,' and a strong disagreeable smell.

. ls employed in medicine, and particularly in veterinary surgery ; and itls reckoned excellent to draw out thorns, splinters, &c., and to cure ulcers!!™ wounds which appear to be in danger of gangrene. It is used in theormation of what are called drawing plasters, and also for making severalinds of varnish. It is sometimes distilled with the addition of water, like theurpentine of the pinaster; but its essential oil, colophony, &c., are very

erior to those produced by distilling the turpentine of any other of the

P'ne and fir tribe.

^ le Manna of Brhmpon is a kind of sap of a sweetish but insipid taste,

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