The figures ia Monardes are so extremely crude that they cannot aflord any idea of the plant tO 

 which they belong. Still, they may be allowed to represent the pods of some species of the leguminous 

 order. 



Dragon's blood was certainly never iiiiportant article of commerce in Europe and that from Oar- 

 thagena probably made its appearance in the market but very irregularly, and has completely disappeared 

 long ago. It was, however, to be met wit h at that time ; thus we find it plainly described by one of the 

 most competent pharmacologists of the middle of our century. Theodore W. 0. Martins (see Hanbury's 

 * Science Papers.' pp. 7 and 25), Profe.ssoi- of ^lateria Mcdica in the Bavarian University of Erlangen 

 (1863), enumerates three varieties of dragon's blood in his ' Grundriss der pharmakognosie,' Erlangen, 

 1842, pp. 366 to 36!), viz., that from Calamus, that from Bracajna (see, Pharniacographic, 2nd edition, 

 pp. 672 to 676), and thirdly, that from Carthageua, the source of which according to Martins is Ptero- 

 ctirpus Draco, L. This treehavuig been named by Linne. The knowledge of its product must have induced 

 Linne to bestow on it the specific nauie of Draco. P/erocnrpiis Draco, indeed, is pointed out as the 

 mother plant of the drug under notice as early as A.D. 1749 in the first edition of ' (\roli Linnse 

 Materia Medica,' Liber 1, De Plautis, p. 184, No. 522. It is true that Java and India orientalis were 

 erroneously stated b}' Linne to be the native countries of the tree. 



The description of the resin, as given b}- Martins, is so accurate that we may feel quite sure he had 

 it before him. Wliether he had actually the opportunity of ascertaining its botanical origin must remain 

 im.settled. But Liudley already hi liis " Flora Medica," lH'>iH, p. 2^:>7, mentioned Pferocnrpus Draco as 

 yielding the red juice from the wounded stems ; he alwo quoted a statement of Jacquin'sto the effect that 

 large (quantities of that dragon's blood had once been exported from Carthagena to Spain. When .Tacquin 

 paid a visit to Cartliagena, between 1754 and 1759, he found the commerce in dragon's blood had almost 

 ceased. In his " Enumeratio systematica plantarum quas in insulis Caribjcis vicinaque Americfc conti- 

 nente novas detexit, etc." Ijugduni Bat., 1760, t. 183, N.I.von Jacquin figured the tree under the 

 name of Pterocarpus o/ficina/ifi whereas in Ilayne's Darstellung and Beschreibung der in dor Arzneikun- 

 de gebraushlishen Gewiichte, ' t. IX., pi. 9, the name of Pterorarpus Draco, Uayne, was applied to the 

 tree which is now known as Plerocarpus suI>crosus, DC, it is a native of Guiana. 



Guibourt was also acquainted with the Dragon's blood from the West Indian Islands, which he (His- 

 toire naturelle des Drogues simjjlcs, II., 18(J9, 139 and III., 346) attributed to '[Anne'ii Pterocapus Draco, he 

 says the I'esin was rarely to be met with. 



It would appear therefore that we Ttiay unhesitatingly regard that tree as the source of the Dragon's 

 blood disco\ered near Carthagena by the Spanish invaders. Its corky indehiscent pod of nearly orbi- 

 cular outline tolerably answers to the figures of Monardes, and the solitary, kidney-shaped seed, if duly 

 shrivelled, m;iy remind in the eyes of a fantastic observer, of what he supposes to be a dragon. 



In India, PtrrocarjJiis BDiraupiimi, Roxb., affords the exudation called kino, which is but little used 

 now. It would be desirable to investigate the chemical composition of the Dragon's blood of the Pterocar- 

 pim Draco, and to examine whether it does or does not agree with the kino of the nearly allied species 

 P. Marsiipiit))) of ]\Ialabar. On applying to Jamaica the matei'ial for such an investigation would proba- 

 bly be obtainable. It would be desirable to know whether two trees so closely allied, like the two species of 

 Ptcrocarpiis just mentioned, could yield products so widely different as are kino on the one side and true 

 Dragon's blood on the other. In the careful monograph of the dragon's blood by Lojander, ' Beitrage zur 

 Kenutris der Drachenblutes, 'Strassburg 1887, the author only mentioned briefly the drug of Pterocarpvs 

 Draco, which he had uot at his command. 



We maj^ anticipate that it rather belongs to the numerous class of kinos, the exudations of several 

 species of eucalyptus as well as of Pterocarpus dfarsupium and other trees. "Whether they are chemically 

 identical or not remains to be studied. 



REMEDIES AGAINST INSECTS IN GRAIN, PEAS, &c, 



An application has been received for information as to a remedy for weevils infesting red pea, 

 (Phaseolus nanus). The weevil was submitted to Mr. Tyler Townsend, Curator at the Jamaica Institutes 

 and was determined a* Bruc/ius tetricas, Gyll. 



In the Kew Bulletin for July, 1890, tliei-e are two methods described as being successfully em- 

 ployed in India in granaries for preveutiug the ravages of a weevil. 



One of these methods is by the oui])li>yme!it of carbon disulphide, the other of naphthaline powder. 



As the former of these substances, however, is poisonous, and inflammable, its vapour ignitino' at 

 301° E. when mixed with air, — it is scarcely so convenient for use as naphthaline powder. This latter 

 substance is cheap, and a very small quantity placed at the bottom of the bin or receptacle iu which 

 peas or corn is stinxnl will keep out insects ; it can be obtained from druggists. 



The following is the plan lecommendcd for applying the powder, if weevils are found in the stored 

 grain. 



" It is best to ])la(e the naphllialiuc ]).>\v(l(>r at the bottom of the bin or bulk of grain. To accom- 

 plislx this, take a bauiboo, about U inches iu diameter, and long enough to reach from the top to the 

 bottom of the bulk of grain. Punch the joints out of the bamboo, so as to be able to pass a stick 

 through from one end of the bamboo to the other. Have the sti(^k nuide to fit the cavity in the bamboo. 

 Pass tiie bamboo with the stick in it, down ihrough the bulk of grain from the top to the bottom. 

 Withdraw the sti(-k, and drop into the toj) of ihe bamboo about half a teaspoon of naphthaline powder. 

 Tlie bamboo can then bo drawn out, as the naphthaline is safe at the bottom of the bulk of grain. If 

 the bulks are large this should be done once to CA^ery 10 feet square of the bulk. Repeat the applica- 

 tion every 15 or 20 days as the powder evaporates. 



