90 TRANSACTIONS OF THE [Sess. lxxvi. 



bread which is allowed to char and is then thrown away. 

 Both oils are used for burning in native lamps." 



From the size of the trees it may be gleaned that they 

 do not yield any really large timber, but some of the trees 

 have short, thick stems ; the wood is hard, fine-grained, 

 and yellow in colour. 



The Moors very much prefer Argan oil to Olive oil for 

 culinary purposes. They have, however, a strange belief 

 that in some way its use predisposes to leprosy. Leo 

 Africanus, who wrote about 1526, mentions this. As a 

 specific for leprosy it is recommended to use a decoction 

 of Argan leaves, both internally and externally. 



G. G. Cola^o, Portuguese Consul at Laraiche in 1818, was 

 convinced that copious draughts of this oil were a cure for 

 the bubonic plague. This plague, known as the " black 

 death," had raged in Morocco just prior to that time, and 

 he was so sure of the efficacy of the treatment that he had 

 circulars printed in Arabic to enlighten the people and 

 persuade them to use the remedy. 



It is said that attempts have been made to grow this 

 tree in different countries with climates that seemed 

 suitable. Some of these trials were at first attended with 

 prospects of success, but ere long turned out entire failures. 



I obtained some of the fruits when in Morocco, and an 

 attempt is now being made to grow trees from some of them 

 at the Royal Botanic Garden. 1 The fruit is, when ripe or 

 approaching ripeness, pale yellow, but, as it ripens further, 

 becomes darker in colour, and old fruits are nearly black. 



The principal outlet for the trade of the Sahara, Tafilat, 

 Marakesh, or Morocco city, the southern portion of the 

 Great Atlas range, and the district of the Sus, is by the 

 trade routes converging upon the city of Mogodor. The 

 j)resent city, with its imposing walls and gateways, was 

 built in 1760 by Sidi Mohammed XVII. This town is 

 well laid out from the plans of a French engineer named 

 Cornuc. There is a good water supply, which is conveyed 

 by an overground closed conduit from a fine spring near 

 Diabat to a large stone tank beneath the sand hills. Even in 

 recent times this city has had exciting experiences. On 



1 Young plants grown from the above fruits are now (May 1913) 

 about 15 to 18 inches high, and are all in a healthy condition. 



