78 WITH THE FLOWERS AND TREES 



From the sap a permanent black dye was made; 

 from the twigs coarse baskets were woven; and a 

 certain gum that exudes from the wounded trunk 

 or limbs in summer was pleasant to eat, besides be- 

 ing useful in numerous ways as mucilage. As medi- 

 cine, dissolved in water, the gum was soothing to 

 sore throats, as gum arabic is. It is in keeping with 

 the best traditions of American wastefulness that we 

 are turning this wonderful tree into firewood, every 

 year hundreds of carloads of it going up in smoke 

 in our fireplaces, while we sit and grumble about 

 the high cost of living. 



As we discussed an eleven o'clock luncheon in the 

 shade of one of these mesquits, the Professor broke 

 off a twig, and launched upon another lecturette. 



"There is an idea current among desert folk that 

 the shade of a mesquit is the coolest shade in the 

 world. Perhaps there is something in it. You see 

 the leaflets are hung in such a way as to admit 

 of their turning with the least air, and that means 

 that shade is combined with a maximum of circula- 

 tion. I wish we had time to-day to explore that 

 canon yonder, where we should find another species 

 of mesquit, which they call the screw-bean, because 

 its pods are perfect imitations of a screw. Once 

 there was a kindly old Spanish Franciscan friar 

 named Padre Garces, who did a deal of traveling 



