AKEE TUBA. 
23 
with most poisons tliis Ib by far the most effective way of adminis- 
tering them. Owing to the insoluljility of tubain, it may be eaten 
by a ifish with impunity. I have seen a fish eat enough to kill a 
score, without aiiy ill effects ; but when a solution of it in spirits 
of wine is added to wat^sr, although the tubain is at ooce precipi- 
tate<l as a hluieb*wMte cloud, still It ig then ac^tive. Presumably, 
the fint' stfitA> of sul)divisioii enables it t^i i>e iissimUated by an 
animal organism. In the saj> of th<t! plant it exists as an emul- 
sion; and the sap, liaving no tendency to eoagTiIat*', may be 
diluted to any extent with water. By this means it l^ecomes an 
extremely attenuated emulsion. When the roots have become 
dry, this only takes place to a very limited extent ; and a solvent 
is then necessary t-o bring the tubain into a form in which its 
jK)isouons qnalitiog can Ix? applied. 
There appistrs to l>e no reason why we should not take the 
hint from the Chinese market gardeners and apply the poison to 
the destruetion of the many insect pests to which garden and 
green-house plants are subject. 
From what has been said as to the nature of the suhstaii(,-e 
it will be apparent that the dried roots would Ixs of little or no 
gt;K)d for the piir|K>se, and either the tuljsun must, after being 
i^xtract-ed fro*n the root, )je convertwl intt* an emulsion or into 
some eheiuical eombi nation easily dissolvcnl in water. By the aid 
of a small quantity of sfiirit it nnty easily In? emuIsiJtied with suap, 
whieh on solution in water presents the poison in an active form. 
I tliink it niav also l>e sajwnified if mixed with oil before it is 
treated with alkab. My attempts in this direction have been only 
piirthiUy suceessful as yet. In both eases potash, or soft soaps, 
would Iw the most convenient vehicles with which to combine it, 
as tliey are so much more re^uUly miscil>le in water than the soda 
snaps. The extraction of the jjoison fruni the roots in a large 
way would not lie txjstlv, m by suitable ajiiiaratns the spirit could 
be distilled off and use^ over and over again ; and doubtless some 
chea]»er method of extraction eoidd be found. The jdant grows 
readily in the Straits Settlements. The roots are dug up'from 
time to time and the stumps and suckers are replanted and scjon 
throw out new roots. The stems also contain the jioison, though 
in not so great a pro|>ortion, but still worth extraction. It is 
probaltle that the l)est time of year Ut harvest the root would lie 
Januar)% as the plant is then at rest and nearly leafless. This is 
a suhje<;t which seems to be well worth the attention of the mivkers 
of imkictieides and of tiorieulturist« and hortienlttirists generally,* 
Taipinq, mh March 1B92. 
* See eJiio Kwi Gardens Report, 1877, p. 43, and Pharm, Journal (B)^ 
XYII,, p. 5. 
4 
