310 



selections of liydrastis (Hydrastis caiiadeiisis L.) ti'u years a^'o upon a 

 basis of alkaliiidal percenta.i^e, tlieir iilantins^s iiiade at that time might 

 now be yielding interesting and \alnalile (hitn ni)on the behavior of this 

 plant under cultivation. Problems iTlating to propagation, cultivation, 

 collecting and curing have been sohed. but the cause of the wide I'ange 

 in the ])ercentage of alkaloids in this drug remains an unknown factor. 

 I-'rom January (i, l!t(>i;) to Nnvenil)er s. ]!)]1. this range in the percentage 

 of alkaliiids \\as found to be from 2.7!) to 7.(!0. 



Another illustr;ition of (•u]ti\atl(in without improvement which will 

 at the same time serve to demonstrate the practical value of the applica- 

 tion of a single standard method is the growing of the drug burdock. Tliis 

 drug consists of the root of Arctium lappa L. collected from plants of 

 the tirst year's growth. For the past fifteen years this plant has been 

 grown under cultivation on a commercial scale near Indianai)olis for the 

 production of the brst year's routs in the recent condition. The superior 

 (piality of the resulting product over that obtained from wild plants was 

 early recognized. The drug was more uniform in evt>ry resiKH-t. almost 

 free from fibrous tissue and is believed to produce a niDre active pre]>ara- 

 tion. Witli this favorable beginning it is siirprising, indeed, to leai'u that 

 the final results of fifteen or more years of continuous cultivation liave 

 failed to advance this jilant beyond the point reached at the end of tlu' 

 first year. T'jion seeking an explanation of this fact it was found that 

 from one year to the next the total seed supply came from wild plants 

 found growing by the i-oadside. This plant being a biennial and the crop 

 being harvested at the end of the tirst year's growth has left the farmer 

 at tlie end of each season to searcli for a new seed supply. When inter- 

 viewed as to why seed jilants were not selected ujion a basis of green 

 weight of root jtroduced, the answer has been that it would iK^t ]iay. That 

 seed and i)lant selection could be made to i)ay can be demonstrated ui)on 

 a basis of original investigation and reliable data. A study of tiie results 

 obtained in the IMvision of Botany of the United States Department of 

 AgricnJtiii-c upon "the Superior Value of Large. il(>avy Seed," indicates 

 an increasr' in the weight of the plrinl which is in direct proportion to 

 the weight of the see<l employed. To oht.iin data for calculations upon 

 su<b a basis. burdo<'k seeds were tiikeii from a lot collected miscellaneously 

 from wild plants and separated into light and lie.ivy jiortious. The sep- 

 aration was a<'eomplishe(l liy ilie use ol an appar.itus designed afttM" one 



