, 1878-04-13
UNDERGROUND FORESTS.
One Marvel Of the Texas Plains illai Baflie.
Theorists.

4
| Theorists.
The authors of the newly published
| book named 1.-TWO Thousand Miles in
Texas on Horseback" tell wonderful
| story about the subterranean forests
| which they observed on the prairies lying
| near the river Concho, in the western
| part Of the state. Riding over these
! vast prairies," thus their story rims,
"though you viii see no trees, yet you
viii often see tender little switch OF the
mesquit, shooting few feet above the
ground Now, stop at one OF these and
strike at its root with 4 pickax, you will
expect nothing but tender, tibrous roots +;
but, instead OF these, the pick comes in
contact with heavy, solid body.
| Surprised, you remove the thin cov-
eIimg of earth. and you find a living log, as
thick as a mans les, extending you know
| not how far Exploring further around
the same little shoot, you find many logs
of the same size, and an infinite number
of branches extending from them. Thus
each little twig yields You from quarter
to half cord Of fleetwood, not eq:aled
for that purpose by any other wood with
in MY knowledge. Thus these treeless
plains are filled with fuel, almost equal IN
its su,5ply to the heaviest forests. These
shoots do not increase in size, but after
| attaining a certain dimension, too small
% be dreaded 10y IN urchin, they either
stand 1t that or die and give place to
others. The branches of the large roots
left in the ground speedily supply the loss
by other roots is large as those taken
away
Various theories are put forward to ac-
count for the existence OF these under
ground forests, but none cited by the
narrators of the story are satisfactory
1t is said by some that the burning heat
of the sun has prevented the growth Of
the trees above ground. Others ur9e
that the scarcity of rain III the region in
duced the phenomenon and AGAIN, that
it Is OWING to the frequency of the prairie
fires, which consume the vegetation ex-
posed to its effects. But the same intiu-
enees have nowhere else produced the
same remarkable results
The mesquit Prosopis du!eis, or Aisar's-
ma giunduiosa) ri Texas Is thorny and
married tree Of the order Leguminoseie
and sub-orIer ADmose;e- 1t tyields a gum
which is good substitute for gum arabic,
and Is known in commerce as mesqmt
gum. Its bark and wood are rich IN tan
mic acid, and are excellent materials for
tanning hides The tree spreads rapidly,
and when not kept down by fires, soon
covers the prairies with thick growth
! called "inesquit chaparr;,l-
The growth of this chaparra!, or
thicket," say the writers already Quoted,
"brush shooting ont a number OF long
branches from a common centre at the
ground, armed with thorns and every
branch produced number Of smaller
branches likewise armed. The foliage Is
light and feathery, pinnate, and dropping
in long raccmes. Such is its character
here and in all the chaparrals; but, when
it grows alone, or scattered widely apart,
It becomes a tree, about the ordinary SIZE
Of the peach, and at a distance, when
stripped of It's leaves il winter, greatly
resembles that Tree In the ehaparrai 1t
is almost an evergreen, for its long reach
ing mUit!tudinouS boi9hS protect IL from
the cold nor:hers, and Seem 10 maintain
perpetual spring
at yields annualiy an abundant crop
of beans pods, from five inches to
foot in length. hanging in clusters from
the boughs. These pods are very similar
in appearance 10 that of the eorn-fe!d
pea; but, owing to rich saccharine pulp,
they never become shelly or dry. They
cannot advance TO a higher state Of dessic-
cation than the sugar-cOrn, either In pod
or bean. The bean IS sEIal! and fiattened,
separated from each other by 4 consider
able space Of pulp in the pod, and, whtn
chewed in the mouth, is sweet TO the taste
and sticky to the teeth. When ripe,
! horses and cattle dcyour them with great
relish: and they vii not touch them when
not ripe, because they are then bitter and
aerid-