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grains of soda crystals, and the whole made into an emulsion by the 
addition of one to two ounces of olive oil. As the war progressed, gela- 
tine was substituted for albumen, and slaughter-house fats, purified by 
melting at 150 degrees, for the olive oil. One firm manufactured by this 
process 132,000 gallons of milk daily for Paris consumption. 
Ceraline.—Messrs. Deveau have succeeded in extracting from wheat 
from which the bran has been carefully removed, ceraline, that highly 
nitrogenized portion containing phosphoric acid, which forms the com- 
pact layer just inside the bran, and is generally removed with it in the 
usual processes of grinding. This material contains a peculiar principle 
in smallquantity, which stimulates digestion, andis highly recommended 
by the faculty of Paris asan analeptic when mixed with sugar or pow- 
dered chocolate. From this it is easy to comprehend the valuable proper- 
ties of bran-meal, and if the bran be treated for this substance it may 
in all probability be obtained in sufficient quantity to be administered 
with effect in cases of dyspepsia and general indigestion. 
BOTANICAL NOTES. 
By Dr. GEorGeE VASsEY, BOTANIST. 
APOCYNUM AS A FIBER PLANT.—From the Gardeners’ Chronicle 
(London) we obtain the following item: 
The Times correspondent at Berlin writes thus of a new fiber plant: A fibrous plant 
called Apocynwm venetum has been discovered growing wild in such quantities, in Turk- 
istan, that it may be expected soon to make its appearance in the market. Its fibers, 
as tender and delicate as flax, as strong and tenacious as hemp, are, by combining the 
qualities of the two, greatly superior to either. The Russians will probably endeavor 
to oni at it to Europe, an attempt which might be made by other countries as 
well. 
It is tolerably well known that our species of Apocynum, of which we 
have two, furnish a superior fiber, as does also the related Asclepias in- 
carnata. All these are vigorous, hardy perennials, and could, under 
cultivation, be made to yield large crops. A series of thorough, well- 
conducted experiments, which shall test the comparative value and pro- 
ductiveness of our native fiber plants, is much needed. But how shall 
it be obtained? 
POISONOUS PLANTS.—Every year, and chiefly in the spring of the 
year, we read accounts of cases of poisoning by the eating of wild roots 
or plants. These cases are generally of children who meet with roots 
which they take to be familiar vegetables, such as the parsnip or car- 
rot. The roots which are the cause of these accidents are usually those 
which belong to the natural order Umbellifere, or to the same family as 
the carrot and parsnip, and some of them are easily mistaken, by inex- 
perienced persons, for those useful vegetables. 
Many of the plants of the order Umbellifere are poisonous, particu- 
larly the Cicuta maculata, or spotted cowbane, the Cicuta bulbifera, and 
Sium lineare, which are distributed ever the entire United States, and a 
western member of the order called Hulophus Americanus. The poison- 
ous principle of these plants is powerfully concentrated in the roots in 
early spring, just at the beginning of active vegetation. Boiling usually 
dispels the active and poisonous nature of such roots, but children 
should be cautioned against eating any wild roots or plants without the 
sanction of those who are acquainted with them and know their prop- 
erties. 
