NOTES AND CORRESPONDENCE. 
Our esteemed correspondent Count Castracane requests 
us to correct two expressions in the translation of his paper 
on the “ Reproduction of the Diatomaceae” in the last number. 
In page 258, line 24 from the top, for “ vessel ” read “ cell 
and in page 259, line 22, instead of “ inclosed in ” read 
“ enclosing.” 
Adulteration of Tobacco with Starch. — The Government have 
been recently carrying on prosecutions against tobacco manu- 
facturers and dealers for having in their possession tobacco 
adulterated with starch. Amongst the numerous adultera- 
tions to which tobacco is exposed it was not till very recently 
suspected that starch was ever employed. Of course, such an 
adulteration, if suspected, could he easily detected by the aid 
of the microscope. This arises from the fact that the mature 
leaf of the tobacco — the part that is used in commerce — pos- 
sesses no perceptible traces of starch. It is true that during 
the early stages of the growth of the tobacco traces of exceed- 
ingly minute granules — which are true starch-granules — can 
he detected. These, however, are very different from the starch 
detected by the Government officers in the tobacco seized 
in the prosecutions alluded to. In all the cases the starch 
Avas either wheat- or rice-starch. In some cases the starch 
had been boiled before application had been made of it to 
the tobacco leaf, but this did not interfere with its ready detec- 
tion under the microscope,by the aid of its reaction with iodine. 
The quantity varied from 2 to 7 per cent. This quantity 
is very small ; but, practically, it is found that tobacco 
smeared with starch will take up more water, and thus the 
tobacco is made to weigh more by the addition of starch. 
The starch in these cases, however, has not been added so 
much with the object of increasing the Aveight of the tobacco 
as to enable the manufacturers to improve the Avorkable pro- 
perties of the tobacco. In all cases this adulteration was found 
in the Irish roll tobacco, and it is in the manufacture of this 
