INDIA. 315 



the precious juice disappeared mysteriously during the 

 night. Not suspecting thai the pilfering was done by 



human beings he poured tincture of aconite into the cuts 

 into which the sap accumulated. The next morning on 

 going for his toddy he found to his utter astonishment 

 two followers of the prophet dead near the tree and sev- 

 eral more very sick in an adjacent thicket. For ob- 

 vious reasons a judicial investigation was not applied 

 for. The leaves of this palm have been used for cen- 

 turies as writing paper. 



The nim tree (Melia azadirachta) is one of the most 

 beautiful and useful trees of India. It attains a height 

 of 50 feet, has a short, black barked stem, strong, widely 

 spreading branches and a dark, fresh green, rich foliage 

 of long feathery leaves. At Jaipur I saw a boy climb 

 one of these trees, and with pruning scissors sever 

 enough of its leaves to feed a flock of sheep which had 

 gathered around the base of the tree, anxiously await- 

 ing the expected fodder. The leaves have a great repu- 

 tation as a remedy for dysentery and malaria. Many 

 wonderful stories have I heard concerning the curative 

 powers of a decoction of the leaves of the nim tree. 

 This popular reputation is sustained by the medical 

 profession. 



The tamarind (Tamarindus indica) is a magnificent, 

 large, expansive tree. It is one of the largest trees of 

 southern India. An immense tamarind tree is in the 

 court of the monkey temple at Benares, and it is in this 

 tree that the monkeys take their gymnastic exercises. 

 The monkeys are anxiously awaiting the ripening of 

 its fruit. The acid pulp of the long pods forms the 

 medicinal tamarind, rich in formic and butyric acid, 

 irrespective of its other contents, cold made into a syrup, 

 it can be kept for preparing a palatable acidulous drink. 



The babal or gum arabic tree (Acacia, arabica) is a 

 very common tree in India. It is a small tree and is 

 used sometimes for thorny hedges. Occasionally the 

 stem attains a circumference of 10 feet. It furnishes 



