OCTOBER, 1909,] 



307 Drugs and Medicinal Plants. 



they might indicate the mineral manure 

 that should be added to the soil. More- 

 over, if these constituents were found to 

 occur in similar proportion in the root 

 collected in such widely distant localities 

 as Matto Grosso, the United States of 

 Colombia, and Selangor, it would still 

 further emphasise the need of such in- 

 gredients being required by the plant. 

 Fortunately, I found in Mr. G. S. Blake, 

 B.sc, A.R.S.M., an analytical chemist 

 willing to undertake the analysis of 

 Brazilian, Oarthagena, and Selangor 

 Ipecacuanha roots as met with in com- 

 merce, and I have at length received his 

 report. The details as given below seem 

 to indicate that phosphate of lime and 

 salts of magnesia and potash are the 

 principal ingredients required by the 

 plant. A certain amount of potash 

 would probably be yielded by the leaf 

 mould in which the plant grows, but 

 lime and magnesia are not so equally 

 distributed as a rule, and it is possible 

 that on a siliceous soil these elements 

 might be deficient. The quantity of 

 calcium oxalate present in Ipecacuanha 

 root in the form of raphides indicates 

 that lime is used in building up the 



tissues of the plant. At all events, the 

 use of these bases — the lime in the form 

 of phosphate— is worthy of trial. Fortu- 

 nately, Mr. Blake has now left for Matto 

 Grosso in connection with a Baptist 

 Missionary expedition to that province, 

 to conduct scientific investigations, and 

 has kindly promised to examine the soil 

 in which the Ipecacuanha plant grows, 

 and the other natural conditions under 

 which the plant flourishes in the wild 

 state. 



Analysis of Ipecacuanha Root. 

 By M G. S. Blake, b.sc 



Composition 







Brazi- 



Cartha 



• Selan 



of Ash. 







lian. 



gena. 



gor. 





Ash 



% 



2-04 



% 

 2-72 



% 

 1-80 



Potash 



K 2 







25-53 



7-42 



28-55 



Soda 



Na 2 







2'70 



2-25 



2-06 



Lime 



Ca 







1550 



17-00 



16-87 



Magnesia ... 



Mg 







13-57 



10-68 



14-25 



Manganous Oxide 



Mn 







0-30 



0-58 



0-45 



Phosphoric Oxide 



P 2 



5 



12-70 



5-16 



13-81 



Sulphuric Oxide 



S 



3 



7-40 



5-05 



8-57 



Silica 



Si 



2 



11-02 





10-50 



Chlorine ... 



CI 





Trace. 



Trace. 



Trace 



—Pharifiaeeutical Journal and Pharma 

 cist, June 5th, 1909, p. 765. 



EDIBLE PRODUCTS. 



THE DURIAN FRUIT. 



By H. F. Macmillan. 



(Illustrated.) 



Durio zibethinus (N. O, Sterculiacese)— 

 " Durian," sometimes called the " Civet- 

 cat fruit." — A very large, handsome 

 pyramidal tree, native of the Malayan 

 Archipelago, and commonly cultivated 

 in the Straits, Burma, Java, etc., for 

 the sake of its celebrated fruit. The 

 latter is produced on the older branches, 

 varying somewhat from round to oval 

 in shape, and weighing from 5 to 7 lb. or 

 more. It is armed with thickly set 

 formidable prickles about £ inch long ; 

 when ripe it becomes slightly yellow, 

 and possesses an odour which is inten- 

 sively offensive to most people, espe- 

 cially on first acquaintance with it. The 

 cream-coloured pulp surrounding the 

 seed is the edible portion ; this is most 

 highly prized by Malay and other 

 oriental people, and is also relished by 

 Europeans who acquire a taste for it. 

 Firminger described it as " resembling 

 blanc-mange, delicious as the finest 

 cream," whilst Mr. Russel Wallace con- 

 sidered that "eating Durians is a sen- 

 sation worth a voyage to the East." 

 The large seeds may be roasted and 

 eaten like chestnuts. Pounded into 



flour, they are said to be sometimes 

 made into a substance like " vegetable- 

 ivory." The Durian thrives in the moist 

 low-country of Ceylon up to 2,000 feet 

 elevation, and luxuriates in deep allu- 

 vial soil. In Peradeniya Gardens there 

 are magnificent trees well over 100 feet 

 in height. They flower in March or 

 April, and the fruit is usually ripe in 

 July or August. Durian fruits are vari* 

 able in size, shape, flavour and quantity 

 of pulp, according to variety. The trees 

 also vary in productiveness, some varie- 

 ties being almost barren. Selection aud 

 high cultivation should, therefore, be 

 practised in order to obtain the best 

 fruits. The tree is readily propagated 

 by seed if sown fresh; the seed is ot 

 short vitality, and germinates in 7 to 

 8 days. 



PACKING DURIAN SEEDS FOR 

 EXPORT. 



By T, W. Main. 



(From the Agricultural Bulletin of the 

 Straits andF.M.S., Vol. VIII., No. 3, 



March, 1909.) 

 Daring the past year several experi- 

 ments have been carried out at the 

 Botanic Gardeus, Singapore, in order to 



