242 POPULAR ECONOMIC BOTANY. 



Indian Gums : — 



5. East India Gum, — a very dark variety, seldom lighter 

 in colour than the darkest pieces of Barbary gum. It is gene- 

 rally supposed to be produced by A. Arabica ; but it has 

 been suggested that it is the produce of a totally different 

 plant, Feronia elejohantum, a plant of the Orange tribe 

 (Aurantiacete) . 



6. Gum Babool, — an inferior variety of the above. This 

 gum is in very irregularly shaped pieces, appearing to consist 

 of a number of small round tears joined together; its colour 

 is very dark reddish-brown ; it is tough and cannot easily be 

 powdered. It is from Bengal. 



7. Gum Gattie, — a finer gum than either of the above, 

 produced by the A. Arabica, in the Deccan, Concan, and 

 Guzerat. It is largely imported into London. 



8. Gum Oomrawattee, — another variety, of very indiffer- 

 ent quality, from the province of Oomrawattee. 



All the East Indian gums are dark-coloured and trans- 

 lucent; they are tough, and strongly resemble the gum 

 which oozes from the cherry-trees of this country. 



The gums described are compounds of the two principles 

 arabin and bassorin. The former is easily soluble in cold 

 water ; the latter is softened and swells in cold water, which 



