176 Journal of the Mitchell Society [Fehruary 



0.35 per cent and the roots not less than 0.45 per cent of mydriatic 

 alkaloids such as atropine, belladonine, hyoscyainine, and hyos- 

 cine. 



Belladonna is an old drug which was known to the ancients. It 

 derives its name from two Italian words, "bella," beautiful, and 

 ''donna," lady, i. e., the berries were used by Italian ladies as a 

 cosmetic, and to dilate the pupils of the eyes, thus rendering them 

 more beautiful and handsome. 



Belladonna is a bushy, strong-growing, perennial herbaceous 

 plant, with a fleshy creeping root from which arises several erect, 

 round, purplish branching stems to the height of about three feet. 

 There have been many efforts put forth during the past ten or 

 fifteen years to grow the plant upon a commercial scale in this 

 country, but up to the present time but few growers have been suc- 

 cessful from a financial standpoint. The cost of production has 

 equaled or exceeded the selling price. The development of the in- 

 dustry consequently has been slow, in many cases expensive, and at 

 times so discouraging as to almost cause its complete failure and 

 subsequent abandonment. However, the European war has practi- 

 cally cut us off from our former supply and prices, as a result, 

 have reached such figures as to promise a great stimulus to former 

 cultural efforts, and should go far toward seeing belladonna put 

 upon a paying basis as a cultivated drug in the United States. The 

 Bureau of Plant Industry of the United States Department of 

 Agriculture has furnished growers with the experience gained from 

 exhaustive cultural experiments, and, in addition, such firms as 

 Sharp & Dohme and Parke Davis & Co., have given to the public the 

 results of their effort^ to cultivate this valuable drug. With these 

 facts, suggestions, and cautions against previous mistakes, vigorous 

 efforts will undoubtedly be made by growers to furnish pharmacy 

 with a supply of the home-grown drug. 



A discouraging feature of belladonna cultivation is the long 

 period of time required for the seeds to germinate, four to six 

 weeks being a minimum time even under greenhouse conditions. 

 The plant requires rich, moist, calcareous soil with ample atmos- 

 pheric moisture. The temperature should never go below 10° F. 

 in a region where belladonna is to be grown unless the tedious pro- 

 cess of hardening the young plants is resorted to before they are 

 transplanted to the open fields. In T^orth Carolina, where such a 



