be needed. The director of the plan should give careful consideration 
to this side of the question. 
The boys, too, should be carefully chosen from a class who might 
be suitably thus employed and from a type who gave promise of suc- 
cess. This plan intelligently carried out, would be constructive war 
work, temporarily useful and with a promising future. K. L. B. 
The Crude Drug Situation in the United States 
With the beginning of this great war the United States was con- 
fronted with a very serious problem, namely, how to obtain certain 
crude drugs the entire supply of which came from the countries at 
war. It has now been proven that certain of the drugs can be grown 
successfully in certain parts of this country. Since the United States 
has entered the war the demand for these drugs has increased far 
beyond the ordinary requirements, and this fact necessitates im- 
mediate action. 
This work is being taken up with estate owners throughout the 
country who have a greenhouse or land that can be used and with 
their assistance it will be possible to relieve the great shortage quickly 
and with the combined efforts of their superintendents and gardeners, 
men who are the cultural experts of the country, the methods of 
growing can be so worked out that an industry can be founded which 
will make the United States independent of the imported supply. 
We have canvassed all the seed houses in this country and have 
procured a large percentage of the very limited amount of medicinal 
herb seed in the United States. 
Some of the drugs that can be grown in this country, for which 
there is an increased demand and a supply not sufficient to meet the 
ordinary demands, are Belladonna (Atropa Belladonna), Indian Hemp 
(Cannabis Indica), Henbane (Hyoscyamus Niger), Digitalis (Digitalis 
Purpurea), Valerian (Valeriana Officinalis), Poppy (Papaver Somni- 
ferum). Sage (Salvia Officinalis), and Caraway (Carum Carui), 
Belladonna is probably the most important as it has a very ex- 
tensive and varied therapeutic use. It is a perennial of the nightshade 
(Solanaceae) family and is a native of Central Europe. The seed of 
this plant is sown in greenhouses during January and is transplanted 
to the field early in the spring. The leaves are ready to be harvested 
during the last of the summer. A space of 270 sq. ft. in the greenhouse 
or 140 sq. ft. in the greenhouse and 140 sq. ft. in cold frames will pro- 
duce enough plants in 2-inch pots to plant an acre. A normal yield is 
400 lbs. of dried leaves per acre. Before the war these leaves sold for 
30c per lb. and today it is scarcely obtainable at $2.00 per lb. 
Digitalis, Valerian and Henbane require the same general cultural 
treatment. 
