. n, and several subsequent writers,state that Aetius speaks of it; but I have been unable to find any notice of it inhis writings; and others have been equally unsuccessful in their search of and Serapion speak of it; the latter calls it kaphor, and erroneouslycites Dioscorides. Simeon Seth, who lived in the Xlth century, describes it; andhis description is considered, both by Voigtels and by Sprengel to be the earliestrecord. This tree, Michaux remarks, possesses a high degree of interest for theUnited States, and shou
. n, and several subsequent writers,state that Aetius speaks of it; but I have been unable to find any notice of it inhis writings; and others have been equally unsuccessful in their search of and Serapion speak of it; the latter calls it kaphor, and erroneouslycites Dioscorides. Simeon Seth, who lived in the Xlth century, describes it; andhis description is considered, both by Voigtels and by Sprengel to be the earliestrecord. This tree, Michaux remarks, possesses a high degree of interest for theUnited States, and should especially engage the attention of the inhabitants ofFlorida, the lower parts of the Carolinas, and of Louisiana. Its multiplication,in these climates, he says, would be so easy, that after a few years, it might beabandoned to nature. Properties and Uses. The wood of the camphor-tree, which is of a whitishcolour, is strongly impregnated with camphor, and is sometimes employed formaking trunks and boxes, that are liable to be infested with insects or CAMPHOR-TREE. 421 Every part of the tree, particularly the flowers, possess the smell and taste ofcamphor in a high degree; but, it is especially from the roots, that this substance,so useful in medicine, is obtained. According to Kaempfer and Thunberg, themethod of extracting camphor in the provinces of Saltzuma and the islands ofGotha, in Japan, is to chop up the roots and Avood of the tree, and boil them mwater in an iron vessel, with an earthen head, containing a quantity of straw,adapted to it, on which the camphor condenses, or sublimes. But the methodpractised in China, from the statements of the Abbe Grosier, Dentrecolles, andDavies, appears to be somewhat different. The chopped branches are steeped inwater, and afterwards boiled, until the camphor begins to adhere to the stick,orspatula, used in stirring. The liquid is then strained, and by standing, the cam-phor concretes. Alternate layers of dry earth, finely p
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