And Anglo -Egyptian]AGRICULTURE (FIBRES, GUMS) 107 -do The deleib palm ( Borassus flabelliformis) yields palmyra, a brush-making fibre, while its leaves, and also those of the doum palm (Hyphaene thebaica) , are used for making baskets and mats.

The Dead Sea apple tree, or ushar bush (Calotropis procera ), which grows wild all over the Sudan, especially in the northern and north-eastern parts, also produces fibre, which has been priced as high as £ 24 per ton, and is used for stuffing cushions, &c . The yarn closely resembles cotton yarn, and thewood makes the best charcoal. Strong but coarse fibre can be obtained from the stems of the banana plant. Attempts have been made to exploit the papyrus rush (Cyperus) which covers many acres in the sudd region of the Upper Nile . The stems of this plant contain fibre and pulp suitable for paper-making, while the floating peat- like mass formedby its roots, together with those of other water plants, can be used as a substitute for coal . The supply of rush is almost unlimited, and although hitherto financial and technical mismanage ment has prevented the success of schemes for its exploitation ( see below , p . 137 ), it is probable that in the end its value for paper-making, if not for fuel, will be generallyrecognised.

Ġums.– The sant tree (Acacia arabica ) flourishes over large areas in the Sudan, both wild and in planta tions . It yields a valuable timber, its bark and seed pods can be used in tanning, and the gum which exudes from its stem has long been an article of commerce. The tree requires a sandy, ferruginous, well-drained soil and a short rainy season ; both these conditions prevail in the province of Kordofan, which on that account, and also owing to its railway facilities, has become the chief centre of the gum industry. Large areas of acacia forest in Kordofan still remain un touched, but the extension of the railway to El Obeid has encouraged the natives to collect gum in the western parts of the province. There is also a considerable gum trade at Gedaref, and a certain amount is collected in the Gezira .

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