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of immense utility. The basket is made by ringing the tree 
at two places 4 to 5 feet apart, and by “ cutting down one side 
and removing the piece of bark intact, the two incurved sides 
are kept apart and in place by skewers, the ends are doubled up 
and the met edges sewn together at the corners, and the cross 
ends sewn to the skewer nearest to each,” the sewing being done 
with fibre made from the same bark. These baskets last well 
and do not leak, and though the removal of the bark kills the 
trees, this is of little consequence as they are so abundant. 
“I saw water brought up out of a well 20 metres deep by means 
of a half-inch rope of the twisted bark of the branches; this 
bark is also used for hinges and whatever other purposes fibre 
car be used for; a piece subjected to a strain of 400 pounds did 
not break, though it stretched out considerably ” (Sim). 
Other Uses of the Bark.—The bark of B. Allenit of Portuguese 
E. Africa, of B. tamarindoides of Angola and the Katanga and of 
B. Woodiana, in Tanganyika Territory, is used for making native 
river craft. 
Speke and Grant, and Welwitsch, stated that the bark of 
certain species (B. Woodiana, B. tamarindoides and B. Randit) 
was also made into kilts, cloths, boxes, corn-bins and huge 
grain-stores, baskets, mats, matches, lashings, roofing for camp- 
huts, etc. 
Sim (+) states that in the northern districts of Portuguese E. 
Africa one species (probably B. Bragaei) “is perhaps the most 
important tree in the Province, under its present circumstances.” 
The natives of the pa district ‘‘make all their water 
baskets, beer vessels, grain drums and cordage from its bark, 
and only use the bak’ ‘of abies tree for making bark-cloth 
because that of the latter is more easily prepared; throughout 
the Province, north of the Limpopo, they use the bark of this 
Brachystegia only, for making cradles, coffins and beehives. 
Timber.—The timber of B. mpalensis—which is described 
as a large tree—is said to be excellent for constructive purposes 
(Deschamps). That of B. (Bragaei?) of Portuguese E. Africa 
“takes part in all domestic woodwork construction,” being “ hard 
and durable” (Sim). That of B. edulis of Kenya Colony, is 
said by Battiscombe to be easily worked, well-marked, but 
not durable 
That of B. longifolia of Nyasaland is described by Buchanan 
as very soft. 
The wood of one of the Portuguese K. African species (the 
“ B. appendiculata” of Sim) is described as compact, of medium 
weight (50 Ibs.), reddish-grey colour, with good surface; rings 
6mm. apart; pores scattered, very large : rays not visible (Sim). 
a Southern Rhodesia one of the mSaasas is used for telegraph 
poles 
The wood of other species (e.g., B. Woodiana) is used for the 
rafters of sheds, native huts, etc. It is largely used for fuel 
