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POPULAE 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. Arahica ; but it has 

 been suggested that it is the produce of a totally different 

 plants Feronia elephankm, a plant of the Orange tribe 

 {Aurantiaced) . 



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 j 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, Arahica, 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 

 amhin and hassorin. The former is easily soluble in cold 

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



