240 



TROPICAL AGRICULTURE 



CHAP. 



The pur- 

 chasers of 

 the drug. 



cules, when gathered, are freed from earth ancTforeign matter, 

 and then hung up in a net over a wood fire kept constantly 

 burning in the hut ; and, in consequence, the jalap acquires 

 a smoky flavour which is considered by buyers to be one of 

 the tests of " good tubers." The method of the Mexican In- 

 dians may be adopted by those engaging in jalap cultivation. 

 Wood fires. Rough inexpensive trash sheds can be constructed, and the 

 tubercules may be dried slowly in them over wood fires, at a 

 slight outlay and with little trouble. To prevent accidents 

 the fires should be put out at nights, for the smoke and the 

 heat will prevent fermentation and mouldiness. 



As jalap is used in medicine alone, in order to obtain the 

 highest prices, it is necessary to place the product on the 

 market in the form best known to the wholesale druggists 

 who are the principal purchasers. The British Pharma- 

 copceia, which is published under the authority of the 

 Imperial Parliament, contains accurate descriptions of all 

 the drugs recognised officially by the General Medical 

 Council of the United Kingdom. The following is the 

 description of Jalap contained in this publication : 



JALAP. The dried tubercules of Ipomaa (Exogonium) 

 purga . . . Imported from Mexico. 

 Official Characters. Varying from the size of a nut to that of an 



description , , .. , . . _ 



of the drug, orange, ovoid, the larger tubercules frequently incised, 

 covered with a thin brown wrinkled cuticle ; presenting, 

 when cut, a yellowish-grey colour, with dark brown con- 

 centric circles. 



SARSAPARILLA. Smilax officinalis. 



Habitat. The well-known drug Sarsaparilla consists of the cord-like 

 roots of a slender climbing plant, inhabiting the forests of the 

 lower lands of Central America. The drug is obtained from 

 several varieties of Smilax, but the kind known best and 

 fetching the highest price is " Jamaica Sarsaparilla " the 



