234 -M)T1-,S nX THE (11 li.M J STR^ ( iF THE !N.\T;AS. 



sand-dune with any chance of surviving. When a seed ger- 

 minates in damp soil in which the water gradually subside-, the 

 young roots will naturally extend deeper and deeper in search 

 of the water. But it ma}- also happen that the plant, little by 

 little, gets covered up with wind-blown sand. In such a case 

 the shoots succeed in growing through the overlying sand. This 

 process is carried on until the top of the plant is as much as 6o 

 feet above the spot where it first grew. It has been stated 

 that some roots are 350 feet long, but this is hard to l)elieve, 

 as the dunes do not attain to that height. It is evident that 

 what we now call roots were in many cases orginally the stems 

 of the plants. One can understand that under sucli circum- 

 stances leaves wotild be a serious encumbrance to the growth 

 of the plant, besides being easily scorched by the sun. In 

 course of time leaves have been entirely discarded, their functions 

 being performed by the shoots and thorns. 



The flowering season commences about October, and the 

 fruit ripens about Christmas time, and remains in season f'T 

 four or five months. 



Uses of the Fruit. 



Fish and ! Xaras fruit form practically the only articles of 

 diet of the wretched desert dwellers of the Walfish Bay territory 

 — mostly To]jnaar Hottentots ;ind ihishmen. During tl'ie --ca^on 

 the fruit is simpl\- con-^umed as re(|uirefl. l)ul to make i)ro\i<i()n 

 for the rest of the }-ear the remainder of the fruit gathered is 

 boiled until it forms a thick soup, strained through a roughly- 

 made basket or perforated parafiin tin on to the dry sand, where 

 it forms a flat cake which, when dry, resembles dark " mebos " 

 in a])])earance, but is rather tough. This is eaten as it is. or 

 is again boiled and formed into a thick, nutritious soup. When 

 eaten by those unaccustomed to its tise, it causes swelling and 

 a burning sensation in the mouth. 



The fruit has a sweet, sour taste when ripe, but is intcn>ely 

 bitter when green. The roots and twigs also have a very bitter 

 taste, and are used medicinally bv the natives. 



The seeds are eaten both raw and boiled. The natives 

 usually grind the seeds, including the husks, between two stones, 

 and l)oil the meal thus obtained. The seeds have a rich nutty 

 flavour and a high feeding value. The boiled seeds, which 

 contain less oil than the raw, but have a richer flavour, at one 

 time formed an article of trade under the name of " Butterpits." 

 These are eaten like nuts, and are also used in the making of 

 confectionery. There is no doubt that if a regular supply were 

 aassured, the demand would increase verv considerably. 



Composition of the Fruit. 



It was with great difficulty that ripe fruits were procured 

 for the experiments, the results of which are given below. On 



