M4V /; tB86.j *PHB 'fROPiCAL AQklCULtynmi 



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A TEA QUEilY. 



TO THE EDITOIi OF THK " PHARJIACEUTICAL .JOURNAL," 



Sir, — I shall Iiu glad if auy of your readers can 

 tell me if auy attempt has been made to intioduce 

 the leaves of Mdastoma Tlieezan.-: as a subititute for 

 tea. 1 Cud meutiou made of it in an old number of 

 the Kdinbuiyli Journal of Xaiirrnl Uistnri/. BI. Bonp- 

 land says : " We have often drunk with pleasure tho 

 infusion of the Mehistomu Theczans. It has the colour 

 of ten, and is much less astringent, but more arom- 

 atic. Jlany persons would doubtless prefer this 

 drink to te^, and I think it will be found as useful 

 in nujst cases." The J/rla^fomacto' are not so far 

 removed from the Tcrn/tromiacere and Cinchonaccw &s 

 tt) render it improbable that some of the species 

 might yield some principle resembling theine or 

 caffeine. It is called the Guijano tea-plant.— J. A. 

 ■\Vhelbon, a. p. S., Burgess Hill, Sussex. 



ALLEGED IJIPURIXY OF COMMEEICAL 



SULPHATE OF QUININE. 



Some months ago Dr. de ^'^ij drew attention to the 

 optical method of distiuguisbiug the alkaloids of cin- 

 chona bark ami to certain results he had obtained by 

 applying this method to the examination of quinine 

 sulphate of commerce. The inference drawn from 

 those residts was that commercial quinine sulphate 

 .nlways contains from o'47 to 1S'4G per cent of ciuchon- 

 idinc sulphate. 



Dr. de Vrij has extended his criticism of quinine 

 sulphate, and in the Xicitv lijd.fchrift of this mouth 

 publishes the resvdts of his examination of the make of 

 the two principal English manufacturers of this article, 

 reporting the amounts of ciuchonidiue sulphate to be as 

 follows : — 



Howard's, Whiffen's. 



Quinine sulphate 84-769 82208 



Cinchouidine 9-.508 6-942 



■\Vater of crystallization ... 5-723 10-850 



100- 100- 



The makes of quinine sulphate which are now im- 

 pugned as containing large amounts of ciuchonidiue 

 sulphate arc among those w-hich bear the highest 

 reputation for purity, and it may be expected, therefore, 

 that the publication of these results will lead to further 

 inquiry into the value of the optical method of analysis 

 by which they were arrived at. Though Dr. de Vrij 

 attaches much importance to it, other authorities are 

 of opinion that it cannot be relied upon. Dr. Hesse, 

 who has given srcat attention to this optical method, 

 considers that it is even capable of imlicating the pre- 

 sence of cinchouidine where it does not exist at all, or 

 from three to four times as much as there really is 

 pri'sent, and the inferences drawn from results obtained] 

 by this method do not appear to have any greater value 

 than that by which Dr. de Vrij was led to state that 

 total alkaloids of succirubra bark always possess a 

 particular rotatory power by which their origin may be 

 recognized, an inference that has now been completely 

 exploded and ascertained to be necessarily erroneous. 

 — FlMrmaceutical Journal. 



THE KKD SPIDER, SO CAI,LKO. 



This creature is not a spider, but an acarus or mite, 

 and lives exclusively upon vegetable products. In 

 zool-jgical classification they both belong to the ela.s8 

 Araehnida, but the mit€ is in the order Trachearia, the 

 spider in that of Pnlmonaria. The function of breathing 

 in the two orders is different. In the mite it is performed 

 by air t\i))es distributed through the body, whilst in the 

 spider the .lir is .idmittcd by spiracles situated on tho 

 abdomen, and which are lineil by a membrane plaited 

 into numerous folds, which resemble gills. On these 

 characters is founded the s\ib-division of the class into 

 pulmonary and fr.ncheary Aracbnida. 



But apart froni all tecbuicalitiis any one with a good 

 pocket lens might satisfy himself that U:o pests of 

 gardeners differ in importaut particulars from the 



spider. The head and breast, or thora.i, of the spidei 

 is connected with the abdomen by a slender cord, as ii. 

 insects. It has eight eyes, and tho same number of 

 legs, besides two short arm-like projection.s, or palpi, 

 with which to catch aud to hold its prey. The body ol 

 the mite is not so divided; is somewhat oval in form 

 and tapering to the head, which is terminated by a 

 syphon or sucker, with which to extract tho juices of 

 plants. It has six legs, but by undergoing a transform- 

 ation similar to insects an extra pair is not uiifrequeully 

 acquired. The body is transparent, with dark vein-like 

 ramifications along the back, which we take to be the 

 tracheiB. The aged females only are red, which may 

 have given rise to the popular name by which they are 

 known. They .spin webs, but not artistically as spiders 

 do, as they seem chiefly designed for nests, or, when 

 the workers are unmolested, convenient residences for 

 large communities ; whereas the web of the spider is 

 not only a snug retreat in times of danger, but a base 

 from which to operate against enemies as well as a snare 

 to entrap unwary Hies or other creatures upon which it 

 feeds.— (?«r,-/<;ne)-s' Month!//. 



FEUITS IN NEW BEITAIN ISLAND. 



The fruit of Diike of York island consists of the 

 banana, coconut, tan, mummy apple, and a description 

 of wild mango. Yams and taro also grow on the islnnd, 

 but sweet potatoes are the chief product, and serve as 

 one of the main articles of trade between this and (he 

 other islands. 



The bananas also are in some parts of the island very 

 fine, but the yamsand taro are not to be compared with 

 those of New Britain, or the yams of New Ireland, which 

 are noted for their large size. The taro of New Britain 

 is also considered (he finest in the South Seas. Taro is 

 a large bulbous tuber, with leaves much of (he shape of 

 the Caladivm. I have never seen the flower. There 

 are two dilferent kinds, one of which grows in swamjjy 

 ground, aud the other on the hill-sides ; the latter is the 

 largest and best, the swanqj taro being waxy to eat. 

 Taro is planted in rows, about one pace apart, and is 

 kept clear of weeds by tlie women; the hill toro grows 

 to the size of fifteen inches long, by one foot circumfer- 

 ence. "When cooked in a small quantity of water, the 

 starch that exudes from it makes the water iuto a thick 

 paste, therefore iirequires more water added continutilly, 

 and when cooked, is soft and mealy, and is one of the 

 very best vegetables I have ever eaten. The native way 

 of cooking it is even better than boiling; the outside 

 rough brown coating is scraped off with a sharp shell, 

 and after cutting the taro in halves lengthways, it is 

 wrapped -up in banana leaves, aud placed in a fire where 

 it is not too hot; when cooked, it is nninb likr gnoil new 

 bread, and is excessively nulritious. After taking tlie 

 taro out of the ground, the tuber is cut otf, leaving 

 about an inch still adhering- to the staikH amlleaves; 

 this is again placed in the groiuul, aid in about three 

 months has another large tuber ready for cuKing. The 

 leaves are terribly astriugcnt, and. if eaten raw, will t;ike 

 the skin off the mouth, and render it very sore for some 

 days, but the young leaves, cooked, are vv.vy delicious;. 



There is .also a fruit called the " tan," which 1 don't 

 suppose; many Europeans know nnicli about. It grows 

 on very high trees, whose wood, Ijy the way, is beauti- 

 fully grained and very h.avd, though nice to work. The 

 fruit is shaped much like an apple, and also grows 

 in bunches as some apples do, but if you lake oiu: in 

 ynur hand and press it, when ripe, tlu; skin wiil (-onie 

 clean olf, and the inside is then foiuul to bo beauifid- 

 ly clear jelly-like substance, which, when placed in the 

 mouth melts into water. This jelly surroiuuls a brown 

 stone, of which the natives make a sort of cake, after 

 it has been soaked for some days. ThR " papau," or 

 mummy apple, has also some curious facts connected 

 with it that aro useful (o know. The .very young 

 apples, when boiled, make a most delicate subslitiito 

 for vegctal)U: marrow; the stalks and lea\es, if boiled 

 with clothes, will reudi-r (heu> beautifully ele.-ui and 

 white; they come out of the boiler a bright gamboge 

 yellow, but when bung np to dry ia the sir, they luru 



