440 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



[November i, 1882, 



with small berries, only J inch thick, has in its habit 

 considerable resemblance to Myrcia coriacea and Pimenta 

 acri'i, but the rigid leaves are devoid of pellucid dots. 



Cantpoiuadfisia (Fsidiui/i, Aublet) aromatica^ Griscbaeh, has 

 yellow globular eatable berries, and a fohage of a balm- 

 hke odour. The similar fruit of Campoiiuoicsia liiieatifolia^ 

 Kuiz et I'avon, is known in Peru as palillo^ and that of 

 i'miip. cornifolia, Kunth, in New Grenada, as yuyavo de 

 Aiisdino. 



In this connection should also be mentioned the rose 

 upiilt and Malay or Otaheite apple, which have been natural- 

 ized in the West Indian Islands, and there, as in tropical 

 Asia,their native country, are highly valued on accoixntof 

 their agreeable taste and rose-like odour. The former, 

 Jamhosa vulgaris, De Oand., s. Einjenia (J/yrius, Kunth) 

 Jamhos, Liii., is a globular or oval yellowish or reddish 

 berry, about 1| inch in diameter; the latter Jambosa 

 {Eugenia^ Lin.; Jfyrtus, ypreugel) malaccen!>is, De Oand., 

 is pear-shaped or top-shaped, 3 or 4 inches long, of a 

 crimson or blackish-red colour externally, and with a white, 

 jnicy pulp. 



The bark and leaves of both species possess strongly 

 astringent properties, and the seeds are aromatic and acrid. 

 The fruit of several other species indigenous to tropical 

 Asia is employed there like those mentioned. 



The jambolana, iSyzygium {Eugenia, Lam., Calyptranthes, 

 Wild.) Jamholanum, De Oand., is also uatm-alizef.l in Jam- 

 aica and other West Indian islands. The dark red oval 

 and somewhat curved fruit is of the size of a large cherry, 

 has an astringent, acidulous taste, and is employed in 

 gargles ; the bark, notably that of the root, is astringent 

 and aromatic. Several other species of this genus, mostly 

 indigenous to tropical Asia, bear eatable berries. — Fhann- 

 aceatical Journal. 



EXTRACT OF VANILLA. 



BY GEORGE "W. KENXEDY. 



The object of the writer is to present a reliable for- 

 mula, which has, in his hands, proved very satisfactory 

 during the past eight or ten years that it has been used. 

 Prior to that time I had experimented considerably with 

 menstruums of various alcoholic strength, and also with 

 mixtures containing glycerine. I obtained good results 

 from some, but the formula I have adopted I prefer to 

 all others, and am satisfied that even the inexperienced 

 can manufacture a good preparation, provided they use a 

 good quality of bean and cai'ry out the manipulation 

 properly. The formula does not dilfer materially from 

 the many in general use, both as to alcoholic strength 

 and the quantity of beau used, although some pharmacists 

 use less than one ounce to the pint : but to insure uni- 

 formity throughout the country, 1 think that the strength 

 indicated should be generally adopted. 



For exhausting the vanilla, various writers have sug- 

 gested simple percolation, repercolation, digestion— both 

 with a cold and warm menstruum anil either for a limited 

 or an unUmited period — and prolonged maceration followed 

 by pt'rcolation. The writer prefers simple ^percolation, 

 which, of course, requires to be skilfully managed. Home 

 writers have recommended strong alcohol as a menstruum. 

 This, I believe is unnecessary, as it is a waste of alcohol, 

 making the preparation more expensive without obtaining 

 better results. I have found 50 per cent alcohol to an- 

 swer the purpose admirably, and as vanillin, to which the 

 odur is line, is soluble in this menstruum, it is, in my 

 judgment, the most desirable one to use. 



As there are many varieties of vanilla in the market, 

 attention shoidd be given as to its selection. A good 

 quality, although perhaps decidedly more expensive at the 

 outset, will be the cheapest in the end for preparing the 

 extract. There is an inferior kind of Mexican vanilla sent 

 into the market, cut up into small pieces of an inch or a 

 little more in length, which consists of beans unfit to be 

 bundled up, and is ottered at the low price of $5 per 

 pound. It is unwise to pm-chase vanilla in a broken con- 

 dition. In the manufacture of au extract only a good 

 quality of Mexican beau should be used, which has a 

 peculiar, agreeable, characteristic odor of its own, whilst 

 »ome of the other kiuds have an odor resenibliug that 

 of tonka, which, in my judgment, makes those varieties 

 decidedly objectiouabie. You might almost as well use 



a certain percentage of tonka beau as the lower kinds of 

 vanilla for the purpose of making a cheap tlavouring ex- 

 tract. A preparation should be sold for what it is, and 

 nothing else. If it contains tonka call it, say, compound 

 extract of vanilla for flavouring, or any other suitable 

 name, but, above all, do not tlu'ow it upon the market 

 as extract of vanilla. There are those people perhaps, 

 though very few, who prefer the odor of tonka, which is 

 due to coumarin, but for their use an extract of tonka 

 could easily be prepared. 



A short time ago I was offered, by a travelling sales- 

 man, a bean at S54 per pound. He stated for extract 

 purposes it was just the thing, and was largely sold to 

 ice-cream makers and others. They were about six inches 

 long, bright brown in colour, quite dry and brittle, void 

 of odor, and would remind one of a bean that had laid 

 in alcohol for weeks, taken out and dried. Cheap and 

 worthless extracts of vanilla appear to be largely sold, 

 and perhaps mainly by grocers. 



The formula proposed is as follows : — 



Take of Good Mexican Vanilla 4 oz. 



Sugar (granulated) 4 oz. 



Alcohol, water, of each a sufficient quantity. 



Out the bean transversely into small pieces, place the 

 sugar and the cut bean into au iron mortar of conve- 

 nient size, and reduce to as fine a condition as practical, 

 after which moisture the powder tvith a mixture of al- 

 cohol and water in proper proportion, so as to obtain a 

 menstruum containing not less than fifty (50) per cent of 

 alcohol ; then carefully pack the moistured powder in a 

 cylindrical percolator, close the lower orifice with a cork, 

 pour on more menstruum of the same strength (sufficient 

 to cover the surface of the powder), cover the top of the 

 percolator, and allow it to remain uudiatm-bed for twenty- 

 four hours ; then remove the cork and permit percolation 

 to proceed, not faster than at the rate of 40 drops per 

 minute, and continue until four pints have passed, when the 

 preparation is completed. — American Journal of Pharmacy . 



THE OULTIVATION OF JALAP. 



BY E. M. HOLMES, F.L.S. 



In the last umuber of your valuable journal a remark 

 is made as follows : — " From an analysis and valuation 

 made of the root in India, there can be no doubt en- 

 tertained as regards the commercial value of Ootacamund 

 grown jalap." It is probably not generally known that 

 the commercial value of a drug is to a certain extent 

 dependent upon its appearance ; and regarded from this 

 point of view, the Ootacamund jalap might probably be 

 improved in value by a little care in its preparation. 

 When a new drug is offered in the London market, the 

 wholesale druggists will not readily purchase it, unless 

 it corresponds in appearance with that which they have 

 been accustomed to buy, or unless it can be obtained at 

 a lower price, while guaranteed by analysis to equal the 

 best qualities met with in commerce. Thus if jalap grown 

 in India can be sold in England at a price that will 

 enable the manufacturer to prepare jalap resin or jalapin 

 of as good quality as that obtained from Mexican jalap 

 at a cheaper rate, he will buy it for that purpose, but 

 he will not purchase the root to sell again if it differs 

 much in appearance or colour from the ordinary drug. 

 Now the samples of Ootacamund jalap, as well as those 

 from Jamaica, which have been offered in this country, 

 are usually in the form of slices, which are much whiter 

 and more starchy-looking than the tubers obtained from 

 Mexico, and have not the smoky flavour and wrinkled 

 appearance of the ordinary drug. 



These differences probably depend upon the mode of 

 drying. In Mexico, owing to the wetness of the climate 

 ia the districts where jalap is collected, the tubers are 

 generally hung up in a net over the constantly burning 

 hre in the Indian's hut, and in consequence acquire a 

 smoky flavour, and become slowly dried in an atmosphere 

 that probably prevents fermentative changes. How far 

 this process can be imitated on a large scale it is of 

 course for those who cultivate jalap to determine. Mr. 

 D. Morris, of Jamaica, in a letter received a few months 

 since, iuformed me that he calculated that the artificial 

 drying would add about 2d per lb. to the cost of pro- 

 dugtJQJi. This, however, would hardly be a consideration 



