30 [No. 97 ECONOMIC CONDITIONS 1 wood of the deyib ( Juniperus procera ), a large cedar, is suitable for making lead pencils ; the tree is specially abundant on the top of the scarp of the interior plateau.

Tobacco . — It is said that tobacco grows well both on the coast and in the interior. The locality most suitable for its growth would probably be the foot hills of the Golis range.

Live -stock . — The great bulk of the wealth of Somali land consists in live-stock belonging to the natives.

There is good grazing in most parts of the country. The camel is by far the most important domestic animal . It is kept mainly for its milk, which is a principal food of the Somalis ; and its flesh , which is highly esteemed by the natives, is occasionally eaten. The Somali camel is an excellent beast of burden ; it can carry a load of 300 lb. for several successive days, travelling nine hours a day . The natives never ride their camels, though they would make good mounts.

There are considerable herds of cattle , which are confined to the Golis range and the neighbouring hills. They are of the small -horned or hornless zebu variety, and give fair milk , but are not nearly such fine animals as the Abyssinian breed . They are kept to provide the ghee, or clarified butter, which is con sumed in considerable quantities by the inhabitants of the coastal region. Live animals and ghee are exported to Aden, and hides are sent to the United States of America. In some years lack of water and of fodder during the dry season causes a good deal of mortality from starvation among the cattle. In all years this disability reduces the animals to poor condition , and on this account they will never be able to compete in the production of meat with the Arussi cattle of Abyssinia.

Sheep are of the black-faced, fat-tailed variety, and