581 
diately available for plant-food. It may be used with advantage in the 
raw state, in favorable quantities, without composting, for either cotton 
or cereals; but in cases where it may be more convenient for application 
it may be used with any kind of composting materials whatever. 
The analysis of this material gave the following results : 
WVIGISUURG Ye ois ct ela 5 eh eee Mes Gert ola, t Wevat aps eottetedanlats. fokefa 2/5 Ste) Sole, eas etete 11. 60 
BABU D LES UIC A= noe se ele ae nae oc wc wine oe oe tine ie eecarcile a araiare eaeke 2 iMale laterals 30. 81 
Salm blosiliGan Sjstace 23 Lao see Sloe Pek UM ee tat gees 3.18 
Insoluble organic matter § containing 3.72 per cent. of nitro-§ ....---.----.-- 23. 687 
Soluble organic matter ; gen = 4.52 per cent. of ammonia ; Bad 10. 573 
HECeaMMAG Mae. = dats ce lod Nee ee Sb = ao ee eee adele ail a me dalbeals Stale ate Sta eleetate Trace. 
hosphoricvacid, soluble in water’... .....-: <)-- --st}aacueiaepachl inns ~ let cetastpeioets 1. 305 
AOS pharic Acids ANsOlMble Wa pWwaLbeL. 5 so <2) S aiennteieininiels 21> asjela/s ea ejaaielee etal 1.5016 
WELOKIGe OF ILON.: - -' on -nalense tee sss sono e FER a Sie GY ME el i hi 1. 428 
/ASITUTS CUTE ype pated i Sih Ee adel a ae le rs SB el» eg eee SC ilk 
Lugudiy) Stead fatale Maeab Ss pst ge ye ay oP fh CR Ory yr ARE ED Apes yr EG PPB oe 4.11 
AVIETERIO SIA. coo = sient ai eke Same este Clete n= wiles Soc otal cere Seite eras cine cya wheres are 3.11 
NS DY 0S poegesel mea ge ones ete Sister Veo LS ee Ay roe ys a aN ROE 0. 312 
IAT Got) TCT AS ee FR ne a eR Ee I hea AEE SL AES 6 oes 0. 122 
99, 9486 
DITAINE, NEW SUBSTITUTE FOR QUININE.—The use of Eucalyptus 
globulus as a substitute for quinine has been quite thoroughly discussed, 
and now we find another plant which bids fair to make equally as great 
a stir in the medical world. The plant in question, Echisers scolaria, 
belongs to the family of the Apocynacee, and grows quite abundantly 
near Luzon, in the province of Bataugar, in the Philippine Islands. Its 
bark has for some time been employed by the inhabitants of the prov- - 
ince as a cure for all kinds of fevers. M. Gruppe extracted from the 
bark the active principle, which he called ditaine, and which has been 
used in the hospitals in the same manner and the same doses as quinine. 
It is said to be quite as efficacious as quinine without producing any of 
its disagreeable effects, and has been found very valuable as a tonic. 
DIGESTIBILITY OF PHOSPHORIC ACID AND LIME BY ANIMALS.—In 
the course of some investigations with feeding lambs by Dr. V. Hof- 
meister, at the royal veterinary school at Dresden, he found that when 
known quantities of phosphoric acid and lime were administered to 
lambs and wethers, variable quantitiesof these substances were digested. 
He first experimented upon two separate lots of lambs, one lot being fed 
upon hay and potatoes alone, and another lot fed upon an equal quantity 
of hay and potatoes, to which was added a known quantity of pre- 
cipitated phosphate of lime. This course of experiments extended over 
several months, when it was found that the amount of phosphate of lime 
digested varied with the amount administered, the phosphoric acid of the 
former decreasing as the latter was increased. Thus when the lambs 
were daily fed with 6 grams of the precipitated phosphate of lime, a max- 
imum quantity was digested, but when 9 grams were administered only 
about one-half of the phosphoric acid was digested. On the other 
hand, in the latter case the amount of lime digested increased to 86.2 
per cent. against 65.6 per cent. under the former conditions. 
So also with feeding two-year-old wethers with superphosphate of 
lime, or the phosphate “ot lime soluble in water, it was found that when 
10 grams of this material, containing 1.95 grams of phosphoric 
acid and 1.20 grams of lime soluble in water, and 2.036 grams 
phosphoric acid and 3.90 grams lime insoluble in ’ water, the whole of 
the soluble portion, together with 4.24 per cent. of the phosphoric acid 
and 23.7 per cent. of the lime of the insoluble portion, was digested. 
But when 20 grams of the superphosphate were daily administered, 
