AFebJr0uaryPf«)5m"}  Notes  on  Some  Saps  and  Secretions.  93  - 
to  the  loins  in  lumbago,  and  to  other  parts  to  relieve  local  pains  of 
a  rheumatic  character. 
The  Indian  gums  are  coming  in  largely  into  European  commerce 
to  supplement  the  African  gums,  the  exports  of  gums  for  India 
having  averaged  37,000  cwt.  in  each  of  the  last  five  years.  The 
African  gums  may  be  recognized  from  Indian  gums  by  an  expert, 
being  of  a  different  shade  of  color,  often  with  a  pinkish  hue.  The 
imports  of  gum  arabic  into  the  United  States  have  declined  by 
more  than  one-half  of  late  years;  in  1892  they  were  only  417,000 
pounds,  but  recovered  in  1893  to  915,855  pounds. 
Acacia  Catechu,  Willd.  The  extract  from  this  tree,  known  as 
"  cutch,"  is  used  medicinally  as  an  astringent,  in  fevers  and  other 
maladies,  and  the  better  qualities  are  equally  as  good  medicinally  as 
the  Gambier  of  Singapore. 
There  are  several  kinds  of  cutch  made  in  India  and  used  in 
medicine. 
A  resinous  extract  is  prepared  by  boiling  down  chips  of  the  wood. 
In  Burma  and  Bombay  the  decoction  is  boiled  down  to  a  solid 
consistence  and  thrown  into  leaf  moulds,  or  is  baked  into  cakes  and 
balls.  This  is  the  ordinary  cutch  of  commerce,  and  instead  of  being 
a  pale  grayish  color,  it  is  deep  reddish-brown,  with  a  glassy  fracture. 
Another  inferior  kind  is  made  from  a  decoction  of  the  nut  of  the 
betel  palm  (Areca  Catechu?)  This  form  exists  in  large  slabs,  about 
an  inch  in  thickness,  prepared  on  the  leaves  of  the  Teak  tree.  This 
substance  is,  however,  rarely  exported  from  India,  but  a  considerable 
local  trade  is  carried  on  in  it  in  Madras  and  Mysore. 
Cutch  is  prepared  thus  : 
The  tree  is  cut  down  to  about  six  or  twelve  inches  from  the 
ground  and  chopped  into  small  pieces,  the  smaller  branches  and 
bark  being  rejected.  The  chopped  wood  is  then  taken  to  the  place 
of  manufacture,  generally  under  trees  in  the  open  air,  and  placed 
over  a  brisk  fire  in  clay  jars,  filled  with  about  two-thirds  of 
water. 
This  is  allowed  to  boil  down  till,  with  the  extracted  matter,  it 
forms  a  liquid  of  a  syrupy  consistence.  The  contents  of  several  jars 
are  then  poured  into  a  larger  jar,  and  again  placed  over  a  brisk  fire 
for  a  period  of  from  two  to  four  hours,  and,  when  sufficiently  boiled 
down,  it  is  poured  over  mats  covered  with  ashes  of  cowdung  and 
allowed  to  dry. 
