FOR VICTORIAN INDUSTRIAL CULTURE. 



185 



and cress, and the Kerguelen's Land Cabbage, when boiled, 

 proved a wholesome and agreeable substitute for the ordinary 

 Cabbage. 

 Priva laevis, Jussieu. 



Chili and the Argentine Kepublic. A perennial herb, the 

 small tubers of which can be used for food (Philippi). 



Prosopis dulcis, Kunth. 



From Mexico to the southern parts of the La Plata States. 

 A thorny shrub, growing finally to a tree, adapted for live- 

 fences. This is one of the species yielding the sweetish 

 Algaroba-pods for cattle-fodder, and utilised even in some 

 instances for human food. Mere varieties according to 

 Bentham are : P. horrida, P. juliflora, P. siliquastrum, P. 

 giandulosa. The latter variety exudes a gum not unlike 

 Gum Arabic, and this is obtained so copiously, that children 

 could earn two to three dollars a day in Texas while 

 gathering it, latterly about 40,000 lbs. being bought by 

 druggists there. The tree attains a height of thirty feet, and 

 its wood is excessively hard. The pods of several 

 species are rich in tannin. A short communication on the 

 American Algaroba-trees was presented to our Parliament by 

 the writer in 1871. 



Prosopis pubescens, Bentham. 



Texas, California, New Mexico. Likely available for hedges, 

 with other species of other countries. 



Prosopis spicigera, Linn^. 



India, extending to Persia. A thorny tree, also with edible 

 pods, possibly hardy here. It attains a height of sixty feet, 

 but is of slow growth. Serves for hedge-lines. It can be 

 chosen for desert-land (Kurz). 



Prosopis Stephaniana, Kunth. 



Syria and Persia. A shrubby species for hedge-growth. 



Prunus Americana, Marshall. {P. nigra, Aiton). 



Canada, Eastern United States of America. A thorny 

 tree, furnishing the Yellow and Ked Plum of North 

 America. The fruit is roundish and rather small, but of 

 pleasant taste. 



Prunus Amygdalus, J. Hooker. (Amygdalus communis, 



The Almond-tree. Countries around the Mediterranean Sea 

 and Orient; really indigenous on the Anti-Lebanon, in Kur- 

 destan, Turkestan, and perhaps on the Caucasus (Stewart). 

 Both the sweet and bitter Almond are derived from 

 this species. Their uses, and the value of the highly 

 palatable oil, obtained by pressure from them, are well 



