Life in the forests of the Far East (vol. 2 of 2)St. John, Spenser, Sir
History
Life in the forests of the Far East (vol. 2 of 2)
St. John, Spenser, Sir
Borneo -- Description and travel; Natural history -- Borneo; St. John, Spenser, Sir, 1825-1910 -- Travel -- Borneo
I have referred to the very fine forest which clothes the surface of
Labuan: among the forest trees are the camphor and the damar; the
former produces the valuable Kapur barus of commerce, and is a very
handsome tree, rising in a fine stem ninety or a hundred feet before it
throws out a branch, and then presents a well-shaped head, with dense
foliage. Its timber is lasting, and is much liked for planks and beams
of houses. In the forests of Labuan I have often come across fine trees
felled by the natives in search of the camphor, as this product can
only be obtained by destroying the tree, as it exists in a concrete
form in the interstices of the trunk. But I have heard natives say,
that occasionally they cut down one which has a decayed portion, and in
this they find the finest camphor. It is possible that these decayed
portions may arise from former seekers cutting holes in the tree to
discover whether there were sufficient camphor to render it worth while
to fell the tree, a practice they carry on to the present day. An oil
is also collected from this tree, which rubbed over a chest of drawers
will effectually prevent the invasion of insects.
This method of obtaining the camphor is very wasteful compared to the
way gamboge is collected. I have never seen an account given of it, so
I will introduce it here:--The tree is found in Kambodia, the province
of Chantibun in Siam, the islands on the eastern coast of the Gulf of
Siam, and the southern part of Cochin China. The small plants which
were brought to Bangkok were woody, with thick ovate leaves; the tree
in full growth is large, measuring often five feet in circumference,
and rising to a considerable height. At the commencement of the rainy
season, the gamboge seekers start for the forest in search of the
trees, which are occasionally plentiful. Having found a full-grown one,
they make a spiral incision in the back round half its circumference,
and place a joint of bamboo to catch the sap, which percolates slowly
from it for many months. When it first issues from the tree, it looks
like a yellowish fluid, which after passing through a viscous state,
hardens into the gamboge of commerce with a crystal-like fracture.
The flowers of the tree are said to resemble those of the egg-plant,
and the fruit is small and globular. The time of gathering it depends
much on the fancy of the people, as some declare that it is injurious
to seek it in wet weather, and prefer the very driest months. The
trees grow both in the valleys and on the mountains, and an average
one will yield three joints of bamboo, twenty inches in length, by
one and a half in diameter. The tree appears to suffer no injury if
the gamboge be collected every other year, but if it be tapped each
season, it shortens its life. Like every other nation, the Kambodians
are fond of adding adulterations, and mix with it rice, flour and sand,
while others pulverise the bark, to add to its weight; but this last
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