Gums, Resins, 



108 



[August, 1910. 



' ' Lots of them " said he. 

 " How many American drummers are 

 there in town at present ? " 



" I'm the only one," was the reply. 

 " How many Germans are here ? " 

 "Eighty," said he, 



(To be continued).) 



COLLECTION OP GUM ACACIA. 



(From the Chemist and Druggist, Vol. 

 LXXVI, No. 1582, May 21, 1910.) 



Any details concerning the collection 

 of crude drugs at their source is always 

 of interest to the pharmacognosist, bro- 

 ker, dealer, and consumer. No better 

 example of the type of investigation 

 could be given than has been furnished 

 on acacia gum by the Wellcome Research 

 Laboratories at the Gordon Memorial 

 College at Khartoum in a monograph 

 contained in the last annual report. 

 Gum acacia can no longer be classed 

 with products concerning whose produc- 

 tion but little is known, and of which 

 asafoetida, myrrh, and benzoin are still 

 glaring examples. 



We have already given photographs 

 of gum-picking and the gum-market at 

 Omdurman, as well as details (C. & D,, 

 1909, 1., p. 052) of gum-gatbeiing ; and 

 we now supplement the foimer articles 

 with a series of excellent and unique 

 photographs from the Report of the 

 Laboratories.* 



The first illustration shows a geneina, 

 or gum-garden, near Taiara Kordofan, 

 The straggling character of the trees 

 which grow on the poor soil bordering 

 the actual deserts is evident. The dusky 

 lady is evidently dropping a nodule of 

 gum collected from the branches above 

 her into her woven-fibre basket. Her 

 fellow collector behind is carrying his 

 intrument for tapping the trees over 

 his shoulder. 



The second photograph beautifully 

 illustrates this axe and also the process 

 for tapping of the tree. For this pur- 



pose the bark is cut, avoiding penetrat- 

 ing the wood, and a thin strip some 

 two to three feet in length by one to 

 three inches wide is torn off, leaving 

 a thin layer of the inner bark remaining 

 on the tree. " Wady," or naturally 

 exuded gum from wild untapped trees 

 in unowned forests, is now practically 

 unknown, all the gum gathered being 

 at least under nominal ownership, and 

 the trees are always tapped. A small 

 amount of gum which exudes from natu- 

 ral fissures is collected along with that 

 exuding at the point of tapping. 



The rate of exudation of the liquid 

 gum is closely dependeut upon the 

 temperature, being most rapid when it 

 is high. The exudation must in any 

 case be allowed to remain upon the tree 

 for two or three weeks in order that 

 the tear may become moderately firm. 

 If the nodule be picked off too early 

 the liquid contents flow away, leaving 

 an empty shell, which easily crushes in 

 transit. A fine example of an ovoid 

 mass of gum is depicted near the point 

 of tapping in the third illustration. The 

 surface marking on the large nodule is 

 particularly well shown, A smaller one 

 is seen at the extreme base of the trip- 

 ped portion of the trunk. 



The next three photographs show the 

 picking of the gum from the trees. The 

 first native collector is removing the 

 gum within easy reach. A laden mule 

 behind suggests the means of transport 

 p.vailable. The next gatherer of gum 

 is still more picturesque. In addition 

 to his sack for holding gum and food, he 

 carries his water-skin and also a spear 

 for protection against wild animals. 

 Both the men collectors carry tapping 

 axes over their shoulders. The woman 

 portrayed in the last illustration is 

 knocking the gum off the higher bran- 

 ches by means of a stick. Seven or eight 

 collections are usually made in each 

 season. 



The photographs from which these 

 illustrations have been engraved are 

 copyright, and are reproduced by per- 

 mission from the Third Report, Well- 

 come Research Laboratories, Khartoum. 



FIBRES. 



RAM IE WO OL. 

 (From the Indian Agriculturist, Vol. 

 XXNV., No. i, A pril, 1910.) 



A New Development. 

 Up to the present time ramie has only 

 been treated in the mills which import 

 it for the production of long silky filasse- 



* Not reproduced. 



A development in connection with the 

 utilisation of this fibre which gives pro- 

 mise of proving of the greatest moment 

 to planters and agriculturists, as well as 

 to the owners of certain factories, is the 

 invention of Mr. Robert G. Orr, of Lon- 

 don, of a means by which ramie fibre 

 can be so treated upon the fields where 

 it is grown that it becomes an entirely 



