May 1 1864] THE TECHNOLOGIST. 



INDUSTRIAL MUSEUM, LEEDS. 747 



will be sufficient to say that, upon further researches, it is proved to be 

 from no Mango, but from the seeds of Irvingia Barteri, Hook. fil. The 

 fruit is similar in form and size to that of the Mango, but the seeds, 

 which contain a large amount of oil, are separated from the fruits, and 

 beaten in a trough till they attain a partially fluid state. This is then 

 put into baskets of Musa leaves, and exposed to the sun, when a white 

 tailow collects on the surface, which is poured off, and the Dika allowed 

 to cool in the shade. The natives esteem it very highly in the various 

 preparations of their food, but more especially in cooking fish. It has, 

 however, a strong, rank, and highly disagreeable taste. 



The fruit of a species of Parinarlum, known on the Zambesi as 

 " Mobola," is valued on account of the very sweet pulp which surrounds 

 the seeds. The Gero corn (Penicillaria spicata, Willd.) is in common 

 use, for household purposes, on the Niger and Gambia. The seeds of 

 Sorghum vulgar e, Pers., are also extensively used for preparing as malt. 

 The fibrous plants, both of the Eastern and Western Coasts, are worth 

 more attention than has hitherto been given to them. On the East 

 there is the Baobab (Adansonia digitata, L.), a good tough, strong fibre — 

 so strong, indeed, as to be the material from which the nets used to 

 catch antelopes are always made. Then the Sanseviera guineensis fur- 

 nishes a strong and durable fibre. The abundance of fibre capable of 

 being obtained from the " Buaze," probably two species of Lopliostyles 

 (L. longifolia and L. angustifolia), would seem to give it a claim to be 

 classed among the fibrous plants of commerce. Experiments were made 

 with this fibre, some few years back, by Messrs. Pye, Brothers, who 

 reported very favourably upon it, but since then it has been quite lost 

 sight of in the commercial world. A notice of it, as well as Messrs. Pye's 

 report, were published in Dr. Livingstone's book. The well-known 

 fibrous plant, Paritium tiliaceum, St. Hil., also grows in this part of 

 Africa, while, on the West Coast, are several good fibre-yielding plants. 

 The fibre obtained from Vigna Catjang, Walp., is very strong and tough, 

 and is procured by beating the stem. 



These are but a few of the many apparently useful plants of the 

 great African Continent which, if brought within the range of com- 

 mercial enterprise, would undoubtedly prove valuable. 



INDUSTRIAL MUSEUM, LEEDS. 



The Philosophical and Literary Society of Leeds have recently re- 

 built and greatly enlarged their Museum. 



This opportunity was embraced by some members to urge the claims 

 of Technology to be represented. Hence, a commodious room has been 

 devoted to the purposes of an Industrial Museum, and fitted uniformly 

 with glazed cases of French-polished deal. The South Kensington 

 Museum has presented a set of duplicate specimens of a miscellaneous 



