2 " \ / '^Select PJant} for Industrial Culture and 



Dixon praises it particularly as valuable for fodder of pasture- 

 animals ; hence it might locally serve for ensilage. Mr. W. Johnson 

 found in the foliage a considerable quantity of starch and gum, 

 rendering it nutritious. Cattle and sheep browse on the twigs of 

 this and some allied species, even in the presence of plentiful grass, 

 and are much sustained by such Acacias in seasons of protracted 

 drought, but it is really valuable only as an admixture to fodder, 

 as otherwise it leaves an undigested fibrous substance behind. Drome- 

 daries in Australia crave for the Mulga as food. Wood excessively 

 hard, dark-brown, used preferentially by the natives for boome- 

 rangs, sticks to lift edible roots, end-shafts of Phragmites-spears, 

 woomerangs, nulla-nullas and jagged spear-ends. Mr. J. H. Maiden 

 determined the percentage of mimosa-tannic acid in the perfectly 

 dry bark as 8 '62. 



Acacia Arabica, Willdenow. 



The " Kikar " or " Babool." Northern and Central Africa, also 

 in South-Western Asia, growing in dry, calcareous soil. The 

 Egyptian Acacia of Dioscorides, Plinius and Virgilius. This small 

 tree can be utilised for thorny hedges. It furnishes a good kind of 

 gum arabic for medicinal and technical purposes. Pasture-animals 

 devour the leaves. The lac-insect lives also on the foliage, and thus 

 in Sind the lac is mainly yielded by this tree. The stem attains 

 exceptionally a circumference of 10 feet. The astringent pods are 

 highly valuable for tanning, also the bark, which is known as 

 " Babool " bark, and produces leather of peculiar paleness ; the 

 wood is very durable if water-seasoned, extensively used for wheels, 

 well-curbs and many kinds of implements, also for the knees and 

 planks of boats. This species is of comparatively quick growth ; 

 A. vera and A. Nilotica are varieties of it. The import of gum 

 arabic into Britain during 1886 was 75,591 cwt., valued at 295,464. 

 A. Ehrenbergiana (Hayne) is among the species, which yield gum 

 arabic in North- Africa. A. latronum (Willdenow) and A. modesta 

 (Wallich) form thorny hedges in India according to Sir D. Brandis. 



Acacia armata, R. Brown. 



Extra-tropical Australia. The Kangaroo-Thorn. Much grown 

 for hedges, though less manageable than various other hedge-plants, 

 and not so fire-proof. More important for covering coast-sand with 

 an unapproachable prickly vegetation. 



Acacia binervata, De Candolle. 



Extra-tropical East-Australia. A tree attaining a height of 40 

 feet. The bark used by tanners, but not quite so valuable as that 

 of A. decurrens [W. Dovegrove], although Mr. J. H. Maiden deter- 

 mined the percentage of mimosa-tannic acid in perfectly dried bark 

 as 30-4. The wood is light-coloured, close-grained and easily 

 worked. 



