Wyandot County Republican. [volume] (Upper Sandusky, Ohio) 1869-1903, 1872-12-12
African Trees and Vegetation.

cago, entitled Explorations in Africa
by DIR. David Livingstone and Others,
and which gives full account of Stan
ley's Expedition in search of the grea
explorer, we copy the following interest
ing chapter on some of the peculiaritie.
of the trees and vegetation of Africa:
!, There are so many anomalies in thi.
continent of contrasts that it seems Quit,
of course TO observe that nowhere else
eau be found such vast extent of sandy
barren wastes, and such immense expanse
of forest whose trees, and vines and Jun
gle fairly shut out the rays of the sun
and leave the earth in eternal shade and
gloom. Much the larger share of North
Africa is embraced within the limits OF
the great Desert of Sahara, which,
though in some respects not correctly
represented to the reading public, not
only covers vast expanse on this CONT.
nent, but extends its bleak and dreary ma.
ture far eastward of Africa, not ending
until after it has passed through Arabia,
Persia, Central Asia, and penetrated the
confines of the Chinese Empire 50 in
South Africa we have the Kalahari Desert,
often mentioned in this work, which,
though singularly covered with herbage
and abounding in wild beasts, is much of
the time almost entirely untraversable by
man on account of the want of water 1t
is coursed by the beds of many rivers
which, ages ago, were doubtless peren-
nial streams of flowing water, now as dry
and uninviting as the sands of Sahara.
There are also extensive treeless plains
in America called prairies-whose soil
is rich, supporting great quantities oflux-
uriant grasses and an infinite variety of
shrubs and flowers. Over these, as we
have seen, roam countless numbers of
| .G
the watershed of South Africa, are i'm
mense FLATS" covered with water during
the long season of rains, but in the dry
season presenting to the eyes boundless
expanse of infinitely variegated flowers
| Bounding these deserts, treeless plains,
and flats, are forests of inconceivable ex-
| tent, covered with thick jungle and the
greatest variety of trees.
Tho magnificent trees which DIR. Liy-
ingstone found along the banks of the
Zouga River have already been spoken
of. The baobab is equal in size to the
| famous great trees of California, the i'm
mense hollow trunk of one of which has
been exhibited as a curiosity in most por-
tions of the United States. In some parts
of the Bechuana country the remains of
ancient forests of wild olives and of the
camel-thorn are still to be met with. ''It
is probable" says DIR. Livingstone, "that
this (the camelthorn-Acdcid giraffe is
the tree of which the Ark of the Cove
nant and the Tabernacle were constructed,
as it is reported to be found where the
Israelites were at the time these were
made. 1t is an imperishable wood, while
that usually pointed out as the 'shittim'
soon decays, and wants beauty" The
baobab, already mentioned, has a vitality
almost imperishable. mo external in
| !, c
can destroy this tree from without; nor
can any injury be done from within, as it
is quite common to find it hollow: and
have seen one in which twenty or thirty
men could lie down and sleep as in hut.
Nor does cutting down exterminate it,
for ! saw instances in Angola in which it
| continued to grow in length after it was
| lying on the ground" In fact the bao-
bab, or mowana as it is often called, has
the qualities of both exsgenous and en-
dogenous trees, and is rather a gigantic
bulb than either. 1t is often seen with
its branches extending down to the ground
and taking root, after the manner of the
banyan. The wood of this giant of the
forest is so spongy and soft that an ak can
be struck in so far with good blow that
there is great difficulty in pulling it out
again.
The mopane tree (bauiinia) is remarka-
BILE for the little shade it affords, and its
astonishing capacity for being struck by
lightning. The natives say lightning
hates it." The wood is hard, of light
red color, and called iron-wood by the
Portuguese. On the other hand, there is a
fine tree, called the morala, which hiss never
been known to be struck by lightning.
Branches of it may be seen on the huts of
the natives and the houses of the Portu-
guese of East Africa, as a protection
against lightning. A tree which the natives
call the indoonoo exists in some portions
of Equatorial Africa, " hich is taller and
more graceful than the baobab, but not
of such immense trunk. 1t is from eight
to twelve feet in diameter near the base.
The ebony-tree is found on high lands.
1t is met with all along the ridges and
hills of Equatorial Africa. 1t is describ-
ed as one of the finest and most graceful
trees of the African forest. Its leaves are
long, sharp-pointed, dark green, and hang
in clusters, producing q grateful shade.
Its bark is smooth and of dark green
color. The trunk rises straight and often
to the height of sixty feet without
branch; then large heavy branches are
| sent olt. Some of these valuable trees
have diameter of five feet at the base.
They are all hollow, when mature, even
the branches. Next the bark is a white
sap wood which is not valuable. This in
an average tree is three or four inches
thick, and next to this lies the ebony of
commerce. The ebony-tree is found in
teImiXed with others in the forest, but
generally il groups of three or four to-
gether, and none others within a little
! distance. In the same regions of Equa-
torial Africa grows the HdnlbG plant,
whose leaves are used for smoking by the
natives, very much as the tobacco leaf is
used in some countries. Under its influ-
ence, the natives frequently become per-
manently insane Here also the India
rubber vine grows in great Iuxurlance:
Immense quantities of land, round about
Lake Anengue especially, are literally
covered with this valuable vine.
The cotton plant is indigenous in most
portions of Central and South Africa, but
the natives have as yet paid little atten-
tion to its cultivation. The cannibal
tribes of Central Africa make mats and
many of their garments of "grass- cloth,
which has been described by DR.. Living
stone and Mr. Stanley in letters heretofore
| quoted. The thread used in this material
is obtained from a species Of palm,
! great number of the many different varie-
ties of which abound in Africa. AS for
grasses, the great explorer of whom this
/ NOluLuc pIluCipsAny tISdlS Oilch sltdhS vi
riding through immense extents of it,
taller than a man on horseback. The
vast quantities of grass and the great
number of palms in Africa suggest the be-
| lief that the manufacture of grass paper"
may some day become an important ele-
ment in African commerce. The date
tree and many other fruit bearers are
plentiful.
If Christian civilization held her benign
sway over all portions of Africa, much OF
the great forest area would be cultivated,
and the fertile prairies would yield many
of the fruits and grains by which the world
is supplied with food. The natural agri-
cultural advantages of. the continent are
undoubtedly very great. tits well known
that the valley of the Nile was for ages
the granary of the world. Much of it is
no less fertile now than when its products
fed mankind. The whole of Central
/ Africa from the confines of the Desert of