424 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [Dec. i, 1885. 



acres while the men are digging, and selects the 

 very best at once for seed, and so he is always im- 

 proving the stock. 



The next thing I would mention is aliout banking- 

 up. Now, this custom is, I think, all but universal 

 in England. Most people think that it is necessary 

 to_ a crop, hut the reason does not clearly appear. If 

 it is thoujjht that the Polntos will grow out of the ground, 

 then plant them a little deeper, taking care that the 

 soil is well prepared before planting. There are many 

 advantages to be gained by letting the ground re- 

 main level (or nearly so), especially during a dry 

 season like that we have had lately. It is well 

 known to gardeners that when the weather is dry 

 it is a very good plan to water with the hoe— i.e., 

 continually stir the surface, and the sun will then 

 draw moisture upwards to the roots of the plants. Jlr. 

 Terry has e.\pcriraented on the same soil for years 

 and years, and he always gets the best crop from 

 the level surface. There is also considerable judg- 

 ment recjuired in our changeable climate as to the 

 time when to plant late Potatos. "To secure the 

 largest yield Potatos demand moisture and cool- 

 ness during the last month of their growth ;" there- 

 fore do not plant too soon. I was accidentally 

 hindered this summer from planting my late 

 Potatos about a mouth; the result is that my 

 Potatos are looking green aud flourishing, whilst my 

 neighbours' are as dry as hay. 



Now for a little more about the seed. I suppose most 

 people are pleased to see a dish of Potatos served up 

 mealy and about one size. This can be done by careful 

 selection of the seed, and cutting the pieces to one 

 eye. "When you get to the top and find several eyes 

 close together, remove all the eyes save one. Take 

 care to cut nice fleshy pieces to each eye, aud let 

 each eye have as long a piece of flesh as is pcssible, aud 

 let each piece be about the same size. — AgnEs. — 

 Ganltiicrs^ Chn>niclc. 



Tjik (Juowtii of Peppeemint for the .sake 

 of its oil apiio.'irs to be carried on largely in New York 

 State. According to a statement in the 0/7, Paint mid 

 Dmj Rtim-trr, one farmer in Koso County, which 

 seems to be the centre of the industry, has this 

 year (U'er thirty acres of land devoted to the cul- 

 tivation of the plant, aud expects the yield of oil 

 to reach tliirty-thrce to thirty-five pounds per acre. — 

 Plairmaccitticid .Journal. 



A NKW ALKALOID, named " lantanine," has been dis- 

 covered by Dr. Negrete, in Lantaim Ira-iilieiixis, a 

 plant which has been used by Dr. E. Buiza, in the 

 Central Hospital at Lima, a.s an antipyretic. Dr. 

 Buiza had been in the habit of administering the 

 tincture, which has a very bitter taste. At his re- 

 quest. Dr. Negrete aualyscd the plant to ascertain 

 whether a better pharmaceutical preparation of it 

 could be made, and this led to the detection of the 

 alkaloid (A'o«ii. Rem., Sept. 15, p. 282). Lantanine, 

 .ike quinine, depresses the circulation and lowers 

 the temiieratnre. It is tolerated by the most delic- 

 ate stomach. Intermittent fevers, which h.ave not 

 yielded to treatment with quinine, have given way 

 under the use of 2 grams of lantauiue. The doso 

 hitherto given has been one to two grams during the 

 twenty-four hours, prescritied in the form' of pills 

 ccMitaining ten centigrams each, given immediately 

 after the commencement of the hot stage. In ninety- 

 five cases out of oue hundred, the return of the 

 hot stage was prevented.— rhaniMcuittical Joiinial. 



CoCATNE has already been tried in the vomiting of 

 pregnancy, and now it is )n-ought forw.ird as a ren.edy 

 for sea-siekness. Dr. Jlanasseiu, of St. Petersburg, 

 reports in the Jlrrl. klin. Il'ivh. (August ;,1). that he 

 went on n voyage on jnn-pose to (est tlie elliency 

 of cocaine in sea-sickness. Jle states that two hidividuals 

 to whom ho administered the hydroehlorate of the 

 alkaloid on starting weif. for the" first tune in their 

 lives, free Irom sta-sickuess during a period of forty- 



eight hours of rough weather and enjoyed a good 

 appetite the whole time. A child, .six years oh!, 

 attacked early ia the morning with sea-sickness', 

 was able to play about during the storm after taking 

 the cocame. In another case, in which a girl of 

 eighteen years of age had been sick for tweuiv-four 

 hours before taking the cocaine, six doses proved 

 effectual. Dr. Manassein thinks, therefore, that he 

 is quite justified iu inferring that in cocaine hydro- 

 chlorate we have a certain and harmless reme.ly against 

 sea-.siekness. He reports also that he has u.sed it 

 with success in two cases of cholera nostras. Cocaine 

 and its salts still continue to attract undiminished 

 attention from the medical profession, and it is 

 probable that numerous applications will yet be found 

 for one or other ot these products. Sea sickness, as 

 already stated, is one of the latest evils for which 

 It has been used with advantage. The supply of 

 coca leaves is now becoming sufficiently abundant to 

 admit of cocaine being obtained at more moderate 

 prices, and though dilferent parcels are very unequal 

 m their yield ot the alkaloid, this circum.^t lUce may 

 probably be due to defective procedure in the pre- 

 servation of the leares after they are gathered, lead- 

 ing to a total or partial decompo.-!ition of the alkal- 

 oid. The remarkable facility with which cocaine is 

 decomposed is a reason for especial care being taken 

 m harvesting the leaves and iu protecting them from 

 injuiious mtlueuce during their transit to this country. 

 Some samples of cocaine hydroehlorate have been 

 met with presenting indications of being contamin- 

 ated with an admixture of some other substance which 

 may be iuert or even prejudicial for the purpo.ses 

 to which the salt is applied iu medical practice. 

 ■\Vhether this foreign substance originates from leaves 

 that have undergone fermentation or heating, or 

 whether it is produced in the course of manutaeture. 

 IS as yet uncertain, but it is the more important 

 that the true characteristics of cocaine and its salts 

 should be correctly aud precisely defined. In this 

 respect, unfortunately, the article "Cocaimo hydro- 

 chloras" in the new issue of the British Pharmaco- 

 pojia is merely a chemical conundrum. It describes 

 a process by which cocaine hydroehlorate may be 

 obtained, though it is by no means the best among 

 several that are available for the purpose. Under 

 the head of "characters aud tests" a defiuition is 

 given presum.ably of cocaine hydroehlorate, but it is 

 so utterly erroneous that any substance possessiii" 

 the specified characteristics ivould not be either 

 cocaine itself or the hydroehlorate of that alkaloid, 

 and many who take the trouble to follow the direc- 

 tions of this authority in testing the quality of 

 cocaine hydroehlorate would be entirely misled and 

 mystified. Assuming that the defiuitiou applies to 

 cocaine hydroehlorate, the statement that it is readily 

 soluble in ether is erroneous, yet this eliaract<:r is 

 assigned to it iu the British Pharmacopieia parallel 

 with the solubility in water, of which cocaine hydro- 

 chlorate retiuires less than its own weight. The 

 definition ot the Pharmacopioia does not apply more 

 correctly to cocaine itself, for, though the alkaloid is 

 readily soluble iu ether and alcohol, it is not readily 

 soluble in water, but only so very sparingly soluble 

 in that liquid as to come almost within tie limits 

 of substances insoluble in water. Apiirt from the 

 positive inaccuracy already mentioned, it may be 

 pointed out that the description of cocaine hydro- 

 chlorate is extrtmcly meagre in regard to all' the 

 more important character.s of the salt, ami that it 

 really affords no iu<licatiou of means by which the 

 purity of the substance can be ascertained. 

 Giving a yellow precijiitate with gold chloride and 

 being chaired by hot sulphuric acid aud by heat, 

 are certainly not, in themselves, likely to" be of 

 much utility in eleariug up a iiuestion as to this 

 point, and it wmild, at any rate, not have been 

 superlluoiis to llav(! slated the ih'gree of .-iolubilit.y 

 ill water and other menstrua, as well as to have 

 given .some decisive cine to the identification of 

 iho salt aud of the alkaloid itself.— y^/»ii)/H,iCti!«(arf 

 Jouriail. 



