382 Select Plants for Industrial Culture and 



Pritchardia Thurstoni, F. v. Mueller and Drude. 



Fiji. This palm as occurring only in elevations of about 5,000 

 feet should prove hardier than most palms of the islands in the 

 Pacific Ocean. 



Priva laevis, Jussieu. 



Chili, Argentina. A perennial herb, the small tubers of which 

 can be used for food [Philippi]. 



Prosopis alba, Grisebach. 



La Plata-States. A tree, rising finally to about 40 feet, with a 

 stem-diameter to 3 feet. The fruit, known as Algaroba blanca, is 

 considered wholesome and nutritious. The tree yields also tan- 

 bark. P. iiigra (Hieronymus) serves in Argentina similar purposes. 



Prosopis dulcis, Kunth. 



From California and Texas to the southern parts of the La Plata- 

 States. Vernacularly known as the Cashaw-, Mesquite- or Algaroba- 

 tree. A thorny shrub, growing finally to a tree of 60 feet height, 

 with a stem 2J feet in diameter ; adapted for live fences. Thrives 

 in damp saltish air and at sea-level [J. W. Dutton]. The wood is 

 durable and of extraordinary strength and excessive hardness, fit 

 for select furniture particularly, assuming when polished the appear- 

 ance of mahogany. Drawn into use also for knees of boats locally. 

 This is one of the species yielding the sweetish Algaroba-pods for 

 cattle-fodder, and utilised even in some instances for human food. 

 The pods of the various kinds of Prosopis are adapted only for such 

 animals as chew the cud, and thus get rid of distending gases [II. 

 Russell] . Argentina Algaroba-pods contain, according to Sievert, 

 25 to 28 per cent, of grape-sugar, 11 to 17 per cent, starch, 7 to 11 

 per cent, protein, 14 to 24 per cent, of organic acids, pectin and 

 other non-nitrogenous nutritive substances. They are also compara- 

 tively rich in potash, lime and phosphoric acid. A sparkling drink 

 called Aloja is made of the fruits. This and some allied species 

 yield the Algarobylla-bark for tanning ; the leaves contain, accord- 

 ing to Sievert, 21 per cent, tannin. The pods also of several 

 species are rich in tannic acid. Mere varieties, according to Beri- 

 tham, are: P. horrida, P. julifiora, P. siliquastrum, P. glandulosa. 

 Particularly the latter variety exudes a gum not unlike gum-arabic, 

 and this is obtained at times so copiously, that children could earn 

 two or three dollars a day in Texas, while gathering it, latterly 

 about 40,000 Ibs. being bought by druggists there. A short com- 

 munication on the American Algaroba-trees was presented to the 

 Parliament of Victoria by the writer in 1871. Pods of some Pro- 

 sopis, used as fodder, have caused the death of horses in Jamaica 



