MICHIGAN ACADEMY OF SCIENCE. 195 



as stated by some who have written on this subject. For instance, it is ordi- 

 narily stated that tlie individual leaves of digitalis should be carefully sep- 

 arated, the stalks and midrib carefully removed, and the leaves spread out on 

 trays and carefully and quickly dried, using artificial heat. The drug which 

 I collected ran unusually high in active principles and was dried with the 

 minimum attention and care because of the dilliculties in securing labor. The 

 cluster of root leaves with a portion* of the underground root and stem was 

 cut down with a hatchet or spade. In one case the whole cluster of leaves were 

 strung on wires and allowed to dry. In another case the leaves were torn 

 apart and scattered over the floor. The drying in every instance was very 

 slow and I rather anticipated disappointing results. The assays made by Dr. 

 Edmonds of the University of Michigan, showed the yields to run about three 

 times as high as the official standard. 



Belladonna is of especial interest because every part of the plant with 

 the exception of the basal portion of the main stem is recognized by the phar- 

 macoepia. Of coiu-se one cannot get the largest yield of roots if one is cut- 

 ting down the tops right along with the expectation of getting a banner crop 

 of leaves and tops. From plants which are set out in early June, one can get 

 from two to four crops of the leaves and shoots per season, as this plant will 

 continue flowering until very cold weather comes. The roots of the plants 

 which have been pruned in this way are not so large. If one wishes to get 

 large roots the plant should be allowed to grow during the entire season. The 

 tops then can be cut down or the entire plant with roots and stem can be 

 removed from the soil, the stem iX)rtion being separated by means of a hatchet. 

 Roots, however, which are two or three years old, are preferred, so that the 

 roots of the plants which one wishes to allow to overwinter the stems can be 

 cut down some time in September, depending on the weather. That is, if the 

 plants continue to grow and frosts do not come the entire overground portion 

 can be cut down and will give one from two to four hundred pounds of herb. 

 We secured per acre nearly 1,000 pounds of leaves and tops and 350 pounds 

 of roots. 



5. Roots. When roots are used in medicine the plants are allowed to 

 grow for at least 2 or 3 years. At this time they contain the largest propor- 

 tion of bark tissues in which the medicinal constituents reside. These con- 

 stituents vary during different periods of the year and particularly during the 

 growing period of the plant. As a rule the poisonous principles preponderate 

 when the vegetative processes are about to stop as in the Fall of the year. 

 A similar condition seems to prevail in the Spring just before the plant begins 

 to produce new shoots. When plants are under cultivation it is a compara- 

 tively easy matter to locate last year's plants and to spade them out just as 

 soon as frost is out of the ground. Of course there is a possil)ility of loss 

 from freezing if plants are allowed to overwinter, but I am inclined to think 

 that the medicinal activity is improved by overwintering, as accompanying the 



