Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 41, Number 86, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 16 July 1909 — What Gum Arabic Really Is. [ARTICLE]

What Gum Arabic Really Is.

Gum arable, which forms one of the more important minor exports of Egypt, is really the sap from a specif kind of tree which grows from three to five yards in height, whole forests of which are found in the Kordofan Province, and also near Geu.a, in the White Nile Province. The natives are free to collect the gum. The season during which the trees yield their sap runs from December to May. Prior to gathering the crop the natives prepare the trees by slightly cutting the bark in numerous places. The sap then exudes, solidifies in the shape of large and small lumps and is afterward gathered by hand, such gathering being done before the rainy season csommences. There are two main classes of gum—amber-like and bleached. In the latter the gum is merely exposed to the strong action of the sun—generally in Omdurman—while In the former Instance it is allowed to retain its natural amber color. The confectionery trade is perhaps the principal purchaser of gum arable, though a very large number of other Industries—chemical works, printing and dyeing mills, letterpress printers and so on—are interested in this product of the Sudan.