1855. 



NEAV ENGLAND FARMER. 



75 



articles, may be placed directly upon it without ial expenses, bidding fair not only to lessen oui 

 fear of dampness. It will not very soon wear importations of gum arabic, but in a few years to 



out nor decay. — Gennesee Farmer. 



MEZaUITE GUM. 



The recent important discovery of a substitute 

 for gum arable, made known through a letter of 

 Dr. Geo. G. Shumard to Tlios. S. Drew, Esq., have seen the specimen at the store of Orlando 



enable us to export with advantage. The only 

 specimens of ^Sle/.quite gum which are known to 

 be in the country were collected by the govern- 

 ment exploring party under Capt. R. B. Slarcy, 

 5th Infantry, U. S. A., a member of which was 

 Dr. Shumard, who claims the discovery. W<; 



Indian Agent at Fort Smith, Arkansas, ))y him 'Tompkins, corner of Winter street, (who has in 

 transmitted to tlie Bureau at Washington, D. C, his possession copies of the official correspondence 

 and since published in most of the newspapers in regard to it.) The Mezqui to gum so closely re- 



through the Union, is receiving much attejition 

 from naturalists and chemists. We have obtained 



semblesgum arable in taste, appearance, &o., that 

 from these proofs of identity alone wo should at 



from a gentleman who has investigated the subject, once have pronounced it a valualde product of 

 some facts which may ]jo of niterest to our readers. lOur teeming country. It is expected that the gov- 

 Kunth notices a Proso^/s Dulcis which resem-'ernment party under Capt. Pope, who have just 

 bles in appeai-ance the tree spoken of by Dr. S., left St. Louis on a journey over the plains mail 

 and remarks that it "yields a gum, Mezquitina,' route, for the purpose of sinking a line of artesian 

 which is used instead of gum arable," and many 'wells, Avill bring home ample specimens from the 

 have erroneously suppos-'d the two to be identical, [two or three varieties of the tree which are known 

 The Iiotauical name of the commonly known Mez- to exist in that region. — Boston Journal. 

 quite tree, is given by Prof. Simeon T. Baird, of 



the Smitlisonian Institute, as Alc/arabia Glandulo 

 sae. Dr. Shumard states that it luxuriates only 

 in dry and elevated regions, but all other ac- 

 counts, including that in the report of Captain 

 Marcy, state that its home is in the " river bot- 

 toms," and its presence is generally considered as 

 evidence of a rich soil. Capt. M. states that it 

 is seen standing at such intervals as to jiresent 

 much the appearance of an immense 23each or 

 chard. They are from five to ten inches in diain 

 eter, and their stocks about ten feet in len-th. It ^ests and experiments 



THE VALUE OF EOOT CROPS. 



The reader will be interested and benefited by 

 perusing the article with the above title, from the 

 Plough, Loom, and Anvil. The articles we copy 

 from this journal are well considered and carefully 

 prepared, and may be relied on to be as accurate 

 ' j as they can be without the expense of systematic 



is found on the river Gila, and plentifully on the 

 Colorado. The banks of the Rio Grande produce 



It is reported as a remark of Mr. Webster, thai 

 if the turnip crop of England were to fail for 



some, as indeed do most of the rivers of the north- two years in succession, that country would be 

 orn part of Texas. It is said to exist in forests of ruined. This, of course, is a figurative speech, 

 miles in extent, in Northern California. Like i but there is much truth in it. A chemical analy- 

 many of the plants of that latitude, its fruit is, sis of turnips, however, would lead us to dra-,\ 

 seen in blossom and in maturity at the same pe- ' inferences tlie reverse of this. A root or fruit o; 

 riod. It is first recognized by the Pacific-bound [which water forms 90 to 95 parts in every 100, 

 emigrant in a stinted shrub, but as he approaches ' can scarcely ])e thought very nutritive ; and if the 



his destination, is seen only in a tree of twenty or 

 thirty feet in height. 



Our informant says that the gum is not the only 



doctrine so very current, and which we hav. 

 urged, that food containing nitrogen can alone bi 

 made useful to produce muscle, is true, then tur- 



valuable acquisition brought to light; it seems mips cannot rank very high among such kinds o: 

 that mules devour with avidity tlie fruit, which is, food. But we are beginning to inquire, at least, 

 contained in a pod of a twisted ap})earance, being I whether the great quantities of nitrogen in tin 

 a berry of tlie size of a bean, each covered with atmosphere were nt)t made for some otiier reason 

 a m&ily pulp. Lieut. A. W. Whipple, of U. S. .than because the Great Architect of all mxd- 

 Corps Toi)ographical Engineers, observing its pe-i oxygen rather too strong for common purposes, 

 culiar effect Upon them, was induced to examine Wliile so much oxygen is consumed by all form> 

 it, and found that each berry possessed an intense, of life, what service does the nitrogen perform V 

 stringent property. It is now thought, owing to" It feeds plants." True, and may it not als(; 

 the scarcity and higli price of nutgalls, that tannin j feed animals 1 If not, why not? We do not at- 

 may be got from it with profit. Catechu, an as-ltach so much force to the logic used on this sub- 

 tringent gum long used in medicine and the arts, | ject as we have done, and facts and experiments 

 we believe, is extracted from the wood of one of certainly compel us to no such result. Potatocf' 

 the Mimosas, and from present evidence we think I yield but very little nitrogen, about 1^, parts ii- 

 will be obtained from the Mezquitc. The IndianS|"lOO. Whence, then, comes the constant supph,- 

 and Mexicans are in the habit of boiling its chips of nuiscle for the poor Irislimen in their native 

 in water, and with the decoction dyeing articles j hovels ? A very large proportion of tiie food c!' 



of apparel, &c. 



thousands of them, and almost the whole OJ 



The tree certainly belongs to the class Mimosa,\mAny, consists of the potato only. Do tlieygrow 



i is thin and wi^ak ? Neither. The carbon of the 



as does the acacia tree from which gum arable 

 obtained, and from the similar properties, not 

 only of the gum but the wood and bark, we may 

 practically regard the two as alike. The gum 

 may be procured during the month of August in 

 large quantities, and brought to market with triv- 



potato forliids the former, but what furnisiics the 

 muscle and iiuparts strength ? Kitiier we eat a 

 wonderful excess of this muscle-forming food, or 

 there is some i. "''take in our logic on these mat- 

 ters. But look, again, at the Esquimaux 



