482 
The  Mesquite. 
f  Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
\       Oct.,  1878. 
in  New  Mexico,  Utah,  Nevada  and  the  southern  portion  of  California. 
The  squaws  pound  the  dry  pods  until  reduced  to  a  fine  powder,  which, 
being  mixed  with  a  little  water,  is  pressed  into  large  thick  cakes  weigh- 
ing several  pounds,  and  these  being  dried  in  the  sun  are  afterwards  used 
as  circumstances  require.  The  pods  are  also  often  kept  in  the  powdered 
state  in  bags  ;  but  if  the  beans  are  not  pulverized  as  fine  as  the  pulp 
they  soon  become  a  living  mass,  since  from  every  bean  will  issue  a 
weevil,  a  species  of  bruchus.  To  the  Indians,  however,  this  is  a  matter 
of  indifference,  and  they  never  trouble  themselves  to  pick  the  insect 
out,  but  allow  them  to  become  an  ingredient  of  the  bread.  If  reduced 
to  a  fine  flour,  the  insect  larva  becomes  a  part,  forming  a  homogeneous 
mass  of  animal  and  vegetable  substance.  The  flour,  being  very  sweet, 
forms,  when  mixed  with  water,  an  agreeable  drink  ;  boiled  in  water 
and  fermented,  there  results  a  pleasant  and  nutritious  beverage,  held  in 
great  esteem  by  the  natives.  The  bark  of  the  tree  is  utilized  by  the 
Indian  women  for  making  skirts,  and  it  is  also  twisted  into  ropes  or 
twine,  and  even  woven  into  baskets. 
The  gum  which  exudes  spontaneously  from  the  bark  of  the  tree  is 
described  as  very  similar  in  its  properties  to  gum  arabic,  and  an  analysis 
by  Dr.  Morfit  has  shown  that  in  composition  and  chemical  properties 
it  very  closely  resembles  the  latter.  As  it  oozes  from  the  bark  it  con- 
cretes into  tears  and  lumps  of  various  sizes,  which  vary  in  color  from 
pale-yellow  to  dark-amber.  It  is  very  brittle,  easy  to  pulverize,  and 
its  fractured  surfaces  are  brilliant. 
The  natural  exudations  from  a  single  tree  vary  from  an  ounce  to 
three  pounds,  but  doubtless  much  more  would  be  yielded  were  incisions 
made  in  the  bark.  The  branches  are  said  to  furnish  a  purer  quality 
than  the  trunk.  The  gum,  when  perforated  by  insects,  is  often  eaten 
by  the  Indians.  All  the  tribes  of  Arizona  mix  this  exudation  with  mud, 
which  is  then  daubed  over  the  head,  thus  serving  two  purposes — killing 
parasites,  and  rendering  the  hair  dark  and  glossy.  As  the  mesquite  trees 
abound  upon  the  plains  over  regions  thousands  of  miles  in  extent,  and 
flourish  luxuriantly  in  dry  and  elevated  situations,  the  gum  must,  in 
course  of  time,  become  an  important  commercial  article  when  the 
facilities  for  gathering  it  become  more  perfect. — Scientific  American, 
Aug.  31,  1878. 
