68 WITH THE FLOWERS AND TREES 



makes the sort of brown thatch which you notice 

 covering the limbs and part of the trunk, and which 

 is a natural protection against the sand and wind 

 storms that are the terror of desert life. The desert 

 folks when in need of diversion, sometimes touch a 

 match to this thatch after dark for the sake of see- 

 ing the fire run through the tree from limb to limb, 

 a striking sight against the murky background of 

 the night." 



A hatchet-faced, smooth-shaven man, who looked 

 like a bank president and was an interested listener 

 to the little lecture, inquired if the trees were of 

 any practical use. 



"In a limited way, yes," replied our man of 

 knowledge. "The wood is spongy, but full of fiber 

 which makes it tough and pliable, and it has been 

 used in the manufacture of artificial limbs and 

 cylindrical sheathing for young orchard trees to 

 protect them from rabbits; but its special mission 

 would seem to be for surgeons' splints. When 

 soaked in water and bound to a man's arm or leg the 

 wood conforms to the part, and being porous admits 

 circulation of air. Paper makers have long had an 

 idea that it ought to do for paper pulp, and a Lon- 

 don publisher once had a shipment of it made to 

 England, but the paper it turned out was not sat- 

 isfactory. As fuel the wood is useless in the or- 



