398 BULLETIN OF THE BUSSEY INSTITUTION. 
As regards sawdust, elaborate experiments upon sheep made by 
Professor F. Lehmann * at Goettingen, have shown that so very 
small a proportion of this material is digested by these animals 
that it may safely be said, practically speaking, that sawdust is. 
indigestible and altogether worthless as a food for sheep. 
Notre.— To the items of evidence relating to the fodder value of palm 
seeds which were given in volume I of the Bussey Bulletin, may here be 
added the following additional citations which have happened to fall under my 
notice :— According to Rich,t Strabo (lib. xvi, p. 511), when speaking of the 
uses to which the Babylonians applied the date in his time, says among other 
things that ‘‘ the stones supplied the smiths with charcoal; or, being macerated, 
afforded food for cattle.” 
Tristram, { writing of Ghardaia, says, ‘‘ Among other articles sold here were 
heaps of date stones, which we were told were food for camels. Knowing the 
power of a camel’s tooth, we yet wondered at this, these stones being too hard 
a nut even for a camel to crack, until we observed in front of the decors many 
rounded holes, in fact mortars, worked out of the roadway, which is the hard- 
est of rock. At these the boys were busily employed towards evening in 
pounding the date stones for their camels.” Again, on page 243, at Waregla, 
‘¢The camels munched date stones while the horses were fed on dates and date 
stalks.” 
So too in respect to the doum palm, there is abundant evidence that the 
stones of this tree are used for feeding animals. Loudon says : — ‘*‘ In Upper 
Egypt, they even grind the hard stones in their hand milis for their camels.” 
Warburton § says, ‘‘ In Upper Egypt, the country of the doum palm, even the 
kernels of its fruit are bruised for the food of camels.” And Sir Samuel 
Baker || in his turn, says: —‘‘The stones of the fruit of the dome palm 
(Hyphene Thebaica), after having been steamed, are pounded in a heavy 
mortar. Thus broken into small pieces, they somewhat resemble half-roasted 
chestnuts, and in this state they form excellent food for cattle.” 
Examination of the ** Insoluble Residues” left after estimating 
Starch by Malt; and after treating the Woods with Hydrochloric 
Acid of about 2.59%, and with Acid of 1%. 
In several instances the residues left after the woods had been acted 
upon by malt, or by the dilute acids, were tested for pentosans both by 
means of hydrochloric acid of 1% and ‘by determining furfurol in the 
furol. The properties of both bodies were described with a considerable 
degree of accuracy. : 
* Cited in Biedermann’s Central-Blatt fiir Agrikultur-Chemie. 1894, 23. 
671. 
+ Rich, C. J., Memoir on the Ruins of Babylon. London. 1818, p. 59. 
t In his book entitled, The Great Sahara. London. 1860, p. 154. 
# Chap. ix. (note on p. 140 of Vol. I, of the Leipsic edition). 
|| The Nile Tributaries of Abyssinia. London. 1867, p. 33. 
OO 
