B112 

 (leaf 2) 



Honey mesquite is a valuable soil binder, especially on sandy areas. 

 Growing in clumps, as it typically does, it catches and holds sand, 

 forming large hummocks. The stems or trunks withstand covering 

 around the base and are not easily killed by drifting sand. 



Honey mesquite has many uses. The wood is very hard and makes 

 excellent fence posts, except for the fact that it is the favored food 

 of certain borers. 3 The roots compare favorably with the best hard- 

 woods as fuel. Although the task involves considerable labor, the 

 roots are collected extensively and, in many localities, the roots, 

 together with mesquite stems, constitute the only available native 

 fuel. Honey mesquite lumber is strikingly marked, richly colored, 

 takes a beautiful polish, and is valuable for fine cabinet work. Flaw- 

 Jess material is, however, difficult to obtain because of crooks and 

 knots; its use is hence necessarily limited. In San Antonio and 

 Brownsville, Tex., pavement blocks of mesquite were formerly used, 

 both effectively and efficiently, on several streets. 4 A gum similar 

 to gum arabic exudes from the bark or is extracted from wounds 

 in the trunk. Forbes 1 reports that the best grade of gum is used 

 both in the manufacture of gumdrops and mucilage; it is also use- 

 ful in laundries. He also writes that the gum is highly prized in 

 Mexico for medicinal purposes, while the low-grade material serves 

 well as a dye. Honey mesquite is also suitable for hedges and orna- 

 mental purposes. 



As the common name indicates, honey mesquite is an important 

 source of nectar, which produces honey of exceptionally fine quality 

 and flavor, being usually marketed as mesquite honey. The pods, 

 ground into a sugary meal, are used by the Mexicans and Indians in 

 making mush or bread. In addition, the natives manufacture atole, 

 a popular drink, from the pods. The Indians also make a weak 

 beer from mesquite pod meal. A purgative drink used by the Mexi- 

 cans is compounded by making a water extract of the pounded inner 

 bark of the young branches and adding salt to the resulting liquor. 1 



MESQUITES (Proso'pis spp.) 



Prosopis, outside of a rather rich development in South America, 

 is a relatively small genus of the warmer parts of the eastern and 

 western hemispheres. It belongs to the mimosa family (Mimosaceae) 

 which some authors prefer to regard as a subfamily of the pea family 

 (Leguminosae). Mesquites are characteristic of warm, mostly dry, 

 subtropical or tropical climates Central America, the West Indies, 

 Africa, Persia, India, etc. although they are abundant and impor- 

 tant plants in parts of the southern United States, Argentina, Chile, 

 and other countries of similar climate. Three species honey mes- 

 quite (P. glandulosa) , velvet mesquite (P. vclwtina), and common 

 mesquite (P. juMflora) occur in the United States. The first two 



1 See footnote on preceding page. 



1 Craighead, F. C., and Hofer, G. PROTECTION OF MESQUITE CORDWOOD AND POSTS FROM 

 BORERS. U. S. Dept. Agr. Farmers' Bull. 1197, 12 pp., illus. 1921. 

 4 Havard, V. THE MESQUIT. Amer. Nat. 18 : 451-459. 1884. 



