Brosimum Galactodendron

The cow tree of South America, which

yields a milk of as good quality as that from the cow. It forms

large forests on the mountains near the town of Cariaco and

elsewhere along the seacoast of Venezuela, reaching to a

considerable height. In South America the cow tree is called Palo

de Vaca, or Arbol de Leche. Its milk, which is obtained by making

incisions in the trunk, so closely resembles the milk of the cow,

both in appearance and quality, that it is commonly used as an

article of food by the inhabitants of the places where the tree is

abundant. Unlike many other vegetable milks, it is perfectly

wholesome, and very nourishing, possessing an agreeable taste, and

a pleasant balsamic odor, its only unpleasant quality being a

slight amount of stickiness. The chemical analysis of this milk

has shown it to possess a composition closely resembling some

animal substances; and, like animal milk, it quickly forms a

cheesy scum, and after a few days' exposure to the atmosphere,

turns sour and putrefies. It contains upwards of 30 per cent of a

resinous substance called _galactine_.