IN EXTRA-TROPICAL COUNTRIES. 267 



American Algoroba Tree was presented to the Parliament of Vic- 

 toria by the writer in 1871. Pods of some Prosopis used as fodder 

 have caused the death of horses in Jamaica. 



Prosopis pubescens, Bentham. 



Texas, California, Mexico. The Tornillo or Screw-bean. The pods 

 ripen at all seasons and contain much saccharine nutritive substance 

 (J. S. Gamble). Likely available for hedges, with other species of 

 other countries. Seeds can be converted into food (Sargent). 



Prosopis spicigera, Linne". 



India, extending to Persia. A thorny tree, also with edible pods, 

 enduring some frost. It attains a height of 60 feet, but is of slow 

 growth (Brandis). Serves for head-lines. It can be chosen for 

 desert land (Kurz). 



Prosopis Stephaniana, Kunth. 



Syria and Persia. A shrubby species for hedge-growth. 



Prunus Americana, .Marshall. (P. nigra, Aiton.) 



Canada, Eastern United States of America. A thorny tree, fur 

 nishing the Yellow and Red Plum of North America. The fruit is 

 roundish and rather small, but of pleasant taste. 



Prunus Amygdalus, J. Hooker.* (Amygdalus communis, Linne.)* 



The Almond-tree. Countries around the Mediterranean Sea and 

 Orient ; really indigenous on the Anti-Lebanon, in Kurdestan, 

 Turkestan, and perhaps on the Caucasus (Stewart). Both the sweet 

 and bitter almond are derived from this species. The cost of 

 gathering the crop in South Europe is about 20 per cent, of its 

 market value. Their uses and the value of the highly palatable oil 

 obtained by pressure frcm them are well known. This oil can well 

 be chosen as a means of providing a pleasant substitute for milk 

 during sea voyages, etc., by mixing, when required, with it half its 

 weight of powdered gum-arabic, and adding then successively, while 

 quickly agitating in a stone mortar, about double the quantity of 

 water. Thus a palatable and wholesome sort of cream for tea or 

 coffee is obtained at any moment. Oil of apricot-seeds is much used 

 in India like almond-oil. There exist hard and soft-shelled varieties 

 of both the sweet and bitter almond. Almonds can even be grown 

 on sea-shores. The crystalline amygdalin can best be prepared from 

 bitter almonds, through removing the oil by pressure, then subject- 

 ing them to distillation with alcohol, and finally precipitating with 

 ether. The volatile bitter almond-oil a very dangerous liquid is 

 obtained by aqueous distillation. Dissolved in alcohol it forms the 

 essence of almonds. This can also be prepared from peach 

 kernels. 



