94 ACACIA SENEGAL 



cells of the pith and medullary rays of species of Astragalus; 

 but it is a natural liquid product which at certain seasons is 

 formed in such large quantities that it bursts through the tissues 

 of the stem and branches, and subsequently hardens by ex- 

 posure to the air. As a general rule, therefore, gum acacia 

 exudes spontaneously, and so freely, that wounding the bark 

 is unnecessary; but in some districts the outflow is facilitated 

 by incisions. In Kordofan the gum is collected by break- 

 ing the lumps off the trees with an axe, and then placing 

 them in ' baskets for convenience of transport. The best gum 

 comes from Kordofan ; it is known as Hashabi gum. It is 

 said that 30,000 cwt. are collected annually in this district. In 

 Senegal the gum begins to exude after the rainy season in 

 November, at which period the dry winds from the 'desert set in 

 and cause the bark to crack, when the juice flows out and 

 hardens in large masses. The collection then commences and is 

 continued more or less till the end of July. This gum is mostly 

 shipped to Bordeaux, where in some years over 100,000 cwt. are 

 imported. By far the greater proportion of the gum imported 

 into this country arrives from Egypt, but the total amount is 

 liable to great variation ; thus, while according to Fliickiger and 

 Hanbury, we imported 76,136 cwt. in 1871, in 1872 our total 

 importation was only 42,837 cwt. 



Varieties and General Characters. According to Fliickiger and 

 Hanbury the principal varieties of Acacia gum which are known 

 in the London market are as follows : 1 . Kordofan Gum, Picked 

 Turkey Gum, or White Sennaar Gum ; 2. Senegal Gum ; 3. 

 Suakin Gum, Talca or Talha Gum; 4. Morocco, Mogador, or 

 Brown Barbary Gum ; 5. Cape Gum ; 6. East India Gum ; and 

 7. Australian or Wattle Gum. 



1. Kordofan, Picked Turkey, or White Sennaar Gum. The 

 botanical source of this gum, according to the most reliable 

 information, is Acacia Senegal, the plant now under description. 

 It is termed in Egypt Hashabi gum. The common name of 

 Gum Arabic which is applied to this and other kinds of gum 

 derived from the species of Acacia is a misnomer, as very little 



