68 
Algarobia  Glandulosa. 
(  Am.  Jour  Pharm 
t       Feb.,  1890. 
medullary  rays  are  so  delicate  as  to  be  hardly  visible  to  the 
naked  eye.  The  line  between  the  red  and  yellowish  wood  is 
distinct  and  abrupt  and  displays  the  sharp  contrast  in  colors. 
The  decoction  of  heart-wood  chips  is  used  in  diarrhoea,  and 
is  a  very  valuable  remedy  in  it  and  similar  complaints.  The 
bark  of  the  mezquite  is  of  a  dirty  silver-gray  appearance 
externally,  marked  with  whitish  or  somewhat  lighter  grayish 
patches  in  the  young  bark.  That  from  older  trees  is  seamed 
and  deeply  cracked  or  furrowed  transversely  and  longitudi- 
nally and  often  found  with  mosses  and  various  lichens 
adhering  to  it.  Very  young  bark  is  of  a  smooth  brown-gray 
appearance  externally,  somewhat  striate  and  green  beneath 
the  thin  epidermis.  The  bark  interiorly  is  whitish,  finely 
striate,  very  fibrous ;  the  liber  separates  easily  in  thin  layers. 
The  transverse  section  of  the  bark  shows  a  finely  checkered 
appearance  from  the  medullary  rays  and  cork  layers.  The 
outer  cork  in  old  bark  is  brown  and  astringent  to  a  slight 
extent.  It  yields  its  reddish  coloring  matter  to  water  and 
dilute  alcohol.  The  young  and  inner  old  bark  are  used  as  an 
astringent  tonic,  also  in  bowel  complaint. 
A  peculiarity  about  the  root  of  the  mezquite  is  the  immen- 
sity of  its  growth  in  those  arid  regions  where  the  plant 
assumes  such  dwarfish  proportions.  In  these  regions  the 
natives,  as  in  the  coal  regions,  dig  for  their  fuel.  The  roots 
are  found  spreading  to  great  distances  and  reaching  into  the 
earth  to  a  depth  of  as  much  as  60  feet;  in  fact,  wherever 
mezquite  is  found  water  can  be  procured  by  following  its 
deep  burrowing  roots.  This  has  been  verified  by  the  digging 
of  wells  along  the  Texas-Pacific  Railroad.  The  amount  of 
tannin  in  the  root,  from  all  indications,  surpasses  that  of 
either  the  wood  or  bark.  The  amount  of  tannin  in  the  wood 
is  about  between  6  and  7  per  cent.,  this  is  in  the  heart  wood. 
In  the  bark  it  is  "50  per  cent.,  and  in  the  white  wood  about 
the  same.  These  figures  are  given  out  in  an  analysis  made 
by  the  chemist  of  the  Department  of  Agriculture.  The 
bark  is  bitter,  though  not  unpleasantly  so,  nor  is  the  taste 
lasting. 
The  gummy  exudation  from  the  bark  of  the  mezquite,  has, 
perhaps,  received  more  attention  at  the  hands  of  scientists 
