Manna

Manna is the concentrated juice of several plants which grow in great abundance in many parts of south Europe, Asia and África. The tree which most generously produces it is a sort of ash. The juice exudes from the stem during the summer months, as a consequence of the punctures of an insect that infests the tree, but the better kinds of manna, known as "flake manna, " are obtained from incisions made in the bark. The poorer qualities come from the bark near the roots of the tree. The manna of commerce is obtained chiefly from Sicily and Calabria. A va riety is collected by the Arabian Bedouins from a species of tamarix, which is nsed on bread like honey. The word is believed to be derived from the Syriac mano, a gift, though there is little evidence that the medical substance now known by that name has anyíhing in common with the manna mentioned in the travels of the Israelites.