taqua

[TAGUA.] ta-qua-rus-są, s. [Brazilian.] Bot . The name given to some Brazilian reeds, of the order of Gra es, growing from thirty to forty feet high in the Brazilian forests, with a diameter of six inches. Between the joints they are full of a cool liquid, which quenches the most burning thirst. tar tar (1), *tarre, *terre, s . [A. S. teoru , teru ; cogn. with Dut. teer ; Icel. tjara ; Dan.tiære ; Sw.tjära; Low Ger. tär ; Ger. theer ; Ir. tearr .] 1. Chem .: A thick, dark-brown. viscid, oily liquid, produced, together with other products, in the dry distillation of organic bodies and of bituminous minerals. [COAL-TAR.] The chemical constitution of tar is very complicated, but it appears to be a mixture of various substances, acid, alkaline, and neutral. True vegetable tar has always an acid reaction, and is readily miscible with alcohol, glacial acetic acid, ether, chloroform, benzol, . It is largely used for coating the planks and cordage of ships, for the preservation of fences, for making pitch, . 2. Manuf . & Comm .: Tar from the pine-tree. Pinus sylvestris, is brought from Ru ia, Norway, Germany, and Sweden. It is superior to that manufactured from other species of pine. In the forests of North Carolina the wood is piled in conical heaps, covered with earth and then fired, the tar being collected at the bottom of the pile. In the inlets of the Gulf of Bothnia a hole is dug in the side of a hill or bank, roots, logs, and billets of the fir are piled into it, the hole is roofed over with turf, and the ligneous matter ignited, and a slow combustion of the ma produced. The tar pa es off through a spout on the side of the slope, and is caught in barrels below. In parts of France tar is made in a kiln of brick or stone. [COAL-TAR.] 3. Pharm .: Tar is an external stimulant given in psoriasis, eczema, and other skin diseases. Its vapor inhaled is of use in chronic bronchitis and phthisis. 4. A sailor, a seaman. (In this sense shortened from tarpaulin (q. v.). "His tars pa ed their time in rioting among the rab ble of Portsmouth." - Macaulay: Hist. Eng., ch. xiv. IMG:content-0819.png:[blocks in formation] 4005