1504 



pinnate leaves and long, dense, clublike racemes of 

 tiny flowers bristling with long stamens. This plant 

 yields the true "gum arable" of commerce, which is 

 used for giving luster to crepe and silk, for thicken- 

 ing colors and mordants in calico-printing, in the 

 manufacture of ink and blacking, as a mucilage, and 

 for confectionery and medicinal .purposes . It is more 

 abundant in the dry season, exuding usually at the 

 forking of the branches. In Kordofan, the gum is ob- 

 tained from both wild and cultivated trees, and in the 

 gardens the trees are artificially cut, strips of the 

 outer bark being removed , shortly after the rains cease ; 

 the first collection of gum is made about 60 days after 

 cutting and the garden is completely picked over every 

 fourth day thereafter until the rains begin again and 

 new leaves appear, at which stage the exudation ceases. 

 The period of production is given at from 3 to 20 

 years, beginning when the trees are 3 or 4 years old. 

 A plantation of about 10 acres has been estimated to 

 yield from 1,200 to 1,500 pounds of gum in the course 

 of a season. (Adapted from Holland, Useful Plants of 

 Nigeria, pt. 2, p. 293; and Engler and Prantl, Die 

 Naturlichen Pf lanzenf amilien, vol. 3, pt. 3, p. 112, 

 fig. 68.) 



Astrocaryum sp. (Phoenicaceae ) , 47997. Palm. From 

 Bogota, Colombia. Seeds presented by Mr. M. T. Dawe . 

 "In my recent journeys I came across a palm known as 

 'Giiere.' It is found in the forests of the Darien 

 country, and grows from sea level to altitudes of a- 

 bout 400 meters [1,300 feet]. The palm is about 10 

 meters [33 feet] in height and bears large, hanging 

 racemes of scarlet-colored fruits, the nuts of which 

 yield a useful oil." (Dawe.) 



Bcrberis pruinosa (Berberidaceae), 48015. Barberry. 

 From Paris, France. Seeds presented by Vilmorin-An- 

 drieux & Co. A robust evergreen shrub, probably 10 

 feet or more in height , native to southwestern China. 

 Its leaves are of a leathery texture , up to 2| inches 

 long, lustrous green above, often grayish beneath, 

 not unlike in general appearance those of the Himala- 

 yan B.aristata. It gets its name from the rich pruinose 

 (plum-colored) bloom that covers the fruits. (Adapted 

 from The Gardeners' Chronicle, Nov. 15, 1913.) 



Beta vulgaris (Chenopodiaceae ) , 48022. Sugar beet. 

 >m Naarden, Holland. Seeds presented by Kuhn & Co . , 



