498 PROCEEDINGS OF UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. [1885. 



quit larva, a destructive borer, may not be laid in it, they will easily 

 last a century. 



Mezquit makes excellent hedges; as it grows readily, a vigorous shrub, 

 on high plains where no other large spinose shrub will thrive, its value 

 in this respect can hardly be overestimated. Seedlings are easily raised, 

 and if transplanted in prepared ground wherever needed, during the 

 rainy season, they should, in 3 or 4 years, develop into strong shoots 

 which by proper pruning and trimming will form impenetrable hedges. 



Wood very hard, heavy, fine-grained, taking a beautiful polish; it 

 is also richly colored, its several zones varying from purple in the center 

 to red and yellow towards the circumference. These qualities render 

 it valuable for cabinet-work ; unfortunately it too often happens that 

 the zones of the heart- wood are cracked so that it is somewhat difficult 

 to get flawless boards. 



The heart-wood, stem and root, contains tannin in the proportion of 

 6 to 7 per cent. The bark and external white wood contain less than 

 1 per cent, and the leaves are entirely destitute of it. It yet remains 

 to be ascertained, by practical test, whether the heart- wood can be used 

 profitably by the tanner. Infusions and decoctions of it will be found 

 useful in the Great American Desert, in default of other medicines, to 

 purify water, prevent scurvy, or check dysentery. 



In several Texas towns, pavement blocks of Mezquit are extensively 

 used and have been found to answer the purpose excellently well. 



As fuel, the wood from both root and stem is unsurpassed. It is the 

 most commonly used from San Antonio, Tex., to San Diego, Cal., and 

 often the only kind obtainable. According to Dr. Loew, the charcoal 

 made from it is of the best quality for metallurgical and smelting pur- 

 poses. 



During the summer months the bark secretes an amber-colored gum 

 which has the taste of gum arabic and, like it, makes excellent adhesive 

 mucilage. Its solution in water is slightly acid and astringent ; it is a 

 useful and palatable drink in the diarrhea of children. The quantity 

 of gum secreted by each tree is not large enough to make it an impor- 

 tant article of commerce. 



The ripe pod, or " bean," with thick and spongy mesocarp, contains 

 more than half its weight of assimilable nutritive principles and is 

 therefore a valuable article of food ; the most important of these is 

 sugar, in the proportion of 25 to 30 per cent. Most herbivorous animals, 

 but especially the horse and the mule, are fond of this pod and thrive 

 on it. In the field, it is a welcome though imperfect substitute for 

 grain. 



The Mezquit " bean " is one of the staple foods of Mexicans and In- 

 dians. They grind it on the "matate" and, after removing shell and 

 seeds, boil the flour in water. The infusion of this flour can easily be 

 made to undergo alcoholic fermentation whereby a weak beer is obtained, 

 formerly much used by Comanche and Apache Indians. 



