Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 09.djvu/417

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GUMMEL. 367 GUMS. GUMMEL, goti'mfl. A town in tlip ncfiro kingdom of Bornu, near the northern lioinulavy of Nigeria, Africa, in longitude 9° 21' E. (Map: Africa, E 3). It is of some commercial impor- tance, and has a population of about 12,000. GUMMERE, gum'merc, Francis Barton (18oJ— ). An American scholar, born at Bur- lington, X. .J. He graduated at Haverford Col- lege (Pa.) in 1872, at Harvard in 1875, studied in Gei'many at the universities of Leipzig. Berlin, Sti'assburg, and Freiburg, and was ai)pointed professor of English in Haverford College. He was elected a member of the Jlodern Language Association of America, and in addition to con- tributions to the Xation, the American .Journal of Philolojiy, and other periodicals', published a valuable and widely used Handbook of Poetics (1885) ; ilermanic 'Orifiins (1892) ; Old English Ballads (1894); and The Bcf/innint/s of Poetry (1901). GUMMERSBACH, guTTm'mers-biic. Capital of the circle of the same name in the Prussian Province of Westphalia, situated near the Rhine, 30 miles northeast of Cologne (Jlap: Germany, B 3). Its principal industry is the manufacture of cardigan jackets, woolen goods, paper, ma- chinerv, and boilers. Population, in 1890, 10,- 000; i'n 1900, 12.525. GUM'MIDGE, ilRS. A none, lorn creetur,' in Dickens's David Copperfield, the widow of a sailor, and housekeeper of Sir. Peggotty's home. GUMMING. See Gummosis. GUMMO'SIS (from Lat. gummi. Gk. k6|UM', komnii, gum), C4UMMING, or Grxi Flux. Any plant disease in which gum flows from the dis- eased area or its vicinity. There are many dift'erent diseases of this character, which have been noticed upon many species of plants, as shown below. The gum, according to Sorauer, is a combination of metagummic acid and lime. When it first ap- pears it is soft, translucent, and gelatinous, but becomes hard, horny, and brittle upon standing. and very dark brown or nearly black. Fungi and bacteria seem associated with the gummosis of many trees, but they are perhaps secondary to some cause like insufficient nutrition, wounds, etc. Poor soil and superabundant moi.slure are believed by some to cause a flow of gum in some plants. On the other hand, there seems abundant evidence that diseases caused by bac- teria produce gummosis of grape, olive, sugar- beet, sugar-cane. etc.. and the gummy deposits noticed in the fire-blight of pears and bacterial wilt of cucurbits. A common form of gum- mosis of cherry and other stone fruits is caused by the fungus Ascospora beyerinckii. Tliis fun- gus can live in and kill the leaves and young fruits of the.se trees. In the Japanese quince (Py- nis j(iponicn) the tears of ginn accompany the attacks of Cladosporium epiphyllum. If broken off, a canker-like wound is revealed, which may extend often to the pith of the stem. In Cali- fornia a ginnmosis of citrus trees is said to be due to the presence in the trees of the mycelium of one of the mushroom fungi. In the case of many of these diseases, pruning below the gum deposits may be' of some service in checking the disease. When wet. the gum dissolves and flows to the ground, carrying spores with it. To destroy these a dressing of lime at the base of the tree is recommended. In those forms of gummosis due to errors in cultivation, restoring the necessary functions of the plants should correct the dis- ease. For wounds of insects, etc., coat the wounded surface with tar or some similar ma- terial. GUMPLOWICZ, grioniplo'vTch. Lidwig ( 1S3S — ). An Austrian ])olitical economist and sociid- ogist. He wa.s born at Cracow, and studied in tluit city and in Vienna. In 1882 he was made professor in the University of Gratz. His prin- cipal works are: Philosophisehen Staatsrccht (1877); Vericaltungslehre (1882); Dcr Rassen- kampf (1883) ; Urundriss der Sociulogie (1885) ; Das osterreichische Staatsrccht (1891); Socio- logic und Politik (1892); Die sociologische Staatsidee (1892); and Hociologische Essays (1899). His works are characterized by ])ro- fundity of research and acuteness of analysis. Der Rassenkampf is generally recognized as one^ of the most important of recent attempts to give unity to the science of sociology. GUMRI, goom're. See Alexandropol. GUMS. A class of organic substances mostly of vegetable origin, and composed of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. JIany of them are com- pletely soluble in water, forming with it a trans- parent mucilage ; but they are all insoluble in alcohol. Chemically, the gums are amorphous carbohydrates that are transformed into sugar when heated with dilute acids. The finer varie- ties are used pharmaceutically for making enml- sions and emollients. Other ginns are used in the manufacture of confectionery, in calico-print- ing, in making ink, finishing cloth, etc. With reference to their chief constituents, the gums may be subdivided into the following three groups: (1) Gum arable and similar gums, con- taining arahin: (2) gum tragacanth and similar gums, containing bassorin ; ( 3 ) other gums, con- taining ecrasin, such as cherry-gum, peach-gum, etc. ( 1 ) Gum arahic, or gum acacia, is gathered chiefly from the Acacia Senegal, growing in East- ern Africa, and near the Senegal River in West- ern Africa. It is brought into the market in the form of roundish tears, vaiving in color from a light straw to a garnet red. and is more or less transparent; the lightest is always the best. Picked Turkey gum is the most esteemed variety. Gum arable consists chiefly of arabin (arable acid), combined with calcium, magnesium, and pota.ssium. Barbary or iloroceo gum. a dark- colored variety, has some qualities which render it valuable to confectioners. Gum Gedda is an inferior quality, now but seldom met with in commerce. Gum Hcntgal comes in fine, large, roind tears, generally larger and of a darker color than the finest gimi arable. It is found in tropical parts of the western coast of Africa. Gum, gattie, an Indian gum, is used as a substitute for gum arable. Other varieties are: Cape gum, the Australian wattle gum. etc. Woodapplc gum is often used as an adulterant of gmn ara- ble. The East Indian gums are dark colored, and much inferior to those produced in Africa. (2) Gum Tragacanth. or gum dragon (Fr. gomme adrngante ; Ger. Traqanth) . is a gummy exudation from various species of Astragalus ( natural order Leguniinosae) . It is derived chiefly from the Astragalus gummifer. growing in West- ern Asia, and comes into the market by way of Smyrna and Constantinople. The best sort is the