26 mainl; agricultural jJxpf.riment station. 1913. 



Spirit of Nitrous Ethe;r. 



As would be supposed from past experiences the situation 

 with regard to the Spirit of Nitrous Ether, or Sweet Spirit 

 of Nitre, is perhaps as bad as with any drug dispensed as a 

 medicine. The samples reported in the following table repre- 

 sent, however, unusual conditions in that eight of the twelve 

 were samples which were put up not by the dealer who sold 

 them, but by manufacturers making a business of putting up 

 drugs and extracts, and guaranteeing them under a serial num- 

 ber. Most of these eight were goods which were evidently very 

 old, as indicated either by the carton in which the goods were 

 contained, or information obtained by following up the ship- 

 ment. Although some of these were found to be seriously be- 

 low, the standard, the dealers from the samples were taken were 

 found in most cases to be entirely blameless in the matter as 

 the goods were guaranteed and there were no statements on 

 the labels as to when the goods were made or how long they 

 should be kept, (^f course, these matters were taken up with 

 the manufacturers, and it is gratifying to note that in each one of 

 these cases either the manufacture of the goods was discontin- 

 ued, or a plain statement prepared to be placed upon these goods 

 in future stating plainly the date of manufacture, and recom- 

 mending that they should not be kept or used after a certain 

 date. In two of the cases of goods guaranteed under a serial 

 number it is noted that the dealers were fined. In these cases 

 there were upon the goods plain statements that the goods could 

 not be guaranteed after a certain date. The date of purchase 

 of the samples was long after this, and therefore the manufac- 

 turers could not be held responsible and the dealer was clearly 

 at fault. 



By taking up these cases in this way a great advance has been 

 made as now probably all of the Sweet Spirit of Nitre placed 

 on the market by wholesalers, and guaranteed under a serial 

 number, carries on the outside of the carton a statement of the 

 date when manufactured and a limiting date after which the 

 goods should not be used. 



