THE TROmOAl. ACmtOULTURlST. 
[April i, 1892 . 
756 
A JAPANESE SULPHUR MINE. 
A nritor in the Japan Mail, of Yokobams, 
desoribes a visit to a sulphur mine in the northern 
part of the main island. The works are situated 
on a platform made in a gorge partly by hand 
and partly by a landslip, and from the back a road 
goes up to the solfataras. On each side are high 
hills well wooded, save where landslips have occurred. 
They poBsess a bath, deliciously warm, containing 
sulphur in suspension and iron and alum in solution. 
The sulphur is melted by super-heated steam. 
About a mile up the gorge are the springs which 
supply the baths at the works, and also a bathing 
establishment in another valley some miles away, 
and another spring is used by the miners to oook 
their rice. All are boiling when they issue, but 
unless enolosed in covered pipes they cool repidly 
and deposit fine “dowers of sulphur," which is 
eolleoted and sold for local consumption. Leaving 
the springs, the sulphur region proper is entered 
which is almost at the top of the gorge, or head 
of the valley. Before coming into the hands of 
the present proprietors, the solfatara was worked 
on Government account, and one of the old workings 
is very curious. It is a small gallery with a hot 
ceiling, and exudes very beautiful needle-shaped 
crystals of pure sulphur, boiling hot, and trans- 
parent when drat gathered, but they soon become 
opaque and change into small octahedral crystals 
that will not bear much pressure, but crumble to 
the touch — showing that the sulphur has been 
deposited at fusing heat. Arriving at the head of 
the stream the ascent of the crater bigins. There 
is a toboggan slide of 720 ft. from the crest of 
the crater down the steep cone to the upper 
workings, The ascent is neither safe nor easy. 
A miner went in front with a pick to cut stops, 
and the clouds wore entered about half way up. 
At the bottom of the crater are very rich mound 
of sulphur ore in inexhaustible quantities. The 
workings give oR fumes and gas, and great care 
is needed by the workmen. The place seemed 
much like that described in one of Sinbad’s 
voyages — no life, no vegetation, no water, only mud 
and sulphur. It is on record that 815 years ago 
the crater exploded like Bandaisan and did great 
damage. The path down the gap then made in 
the crater is a dillioult one. overhanging rooks 
threatening at every step, the path entirely obli- 
terated, and the chasms left by the torrent being 
both steep and dangerous. Above the neighbouring 
town of Numajiri there is a sulphur factory on 
the old Japanese principle of smelting in an open 
boiler and refining in a close oylioder furnace. It 
was not at work, but must be a most wasteful 
method, and hurtful from the fumes given oR. 
The deposits are enormous, and must amount to 
millions of tons. The proprietors profess to turn 
out on arliole equal to the “ roll " sulphur of 
commerce. In the sulphur regions there is no sign 
of life, vegetable or animal, but the cone and 
descent are well wooded, and rare plants and 
flowers flourish in profusion. These, however, 
become stunted as one descends into the crater, 
and on the mud plain there is not a vestige of 
verdure. There are, of coure, no fish in the rivers. 
— Chemical Trade Juurnal, 
Nux Vomica Leaves Poisonous, while 
Pabasitks Gbowinq on ihe Tbke ARB Not.— O ur 
correspondent “T." will bo interested in the follow- 
ing extract from the S. I. Ohierver, unless indeed 
he has received the information direct from Mr. 
Hooper. That the parasitic guest should, in im- 
bibing poisonous juice from its host have power 
to eliminate the poisonous principles, is surely 
°urioua : — 
It will interest our planting readers to know 
that the leaves of the Au^r f arnica are to some extent 
poisonous. In Novemlor 1820 Mr. J. Cameron of 
Bauga'ore enquired if fresh Nnx Vomica leaves wore 
puisunous informing Mr. Hooper the Government 
Qaiuologist that a gentlemau reaidiug near him had 
Kst three burses from, it was supposed, their eatiog 
leaves of this trie. Auotber case was that of a cow 
belonging to Sir Oliver St. .lohn dying under suspici- 
ous oiroumstauoes, and Vomica trees were grow- 
ing in Ihe compound where she was in the habit of 
grazing. The cow had ounvalsiona, bled at the mouth 
and nustrils, and only lived a short time from the 
Qommenoement of the attaek. The poisonoua nature 
of the leaves Mr. Hooper tolls us has never to 
his knowledge, been investigated, so ho ooosiderid 
this a auffioient reason for proseoutiug an inquiry 
into tlie enbjeot, and we loaru that an niialysia 
of the leaves resulted in the separation of an 
alkaloid having the properties of brucine, and amounting 
to 0 35 per conk. Brucine is assooiated with strych- 
nine in the seolB of the Nux Vomica, aa well 
aa in the wood and bark, and has the same physiolo- 
gical effects aa atrychoiee io including well-marked 
tetanic sympioms. The leaves of the Nux Vomica 
therefore .Mr. Hooper saya ; “Taken in snfiioient quan- 
tity, would produce poisonous reeults and precautions 
should be taken in keeping cattle from leeding ou 
them." 
Another queatiou of interest has also been recently 
investigated in connexion with the polsonena nature 
of thu vegetable parasites growing on the Nux Vomion: 
“It is recorded in the Fhanuacopia of India that 
speoies of Viscum and Loranthus growing on this tree 
become just as poisonons aa the tree itself, and that 
in the leavea of one species the Visoum Monoioum 
the two alkaloids, strychnine and brucine were deteoled. 
Those statemontshavs been copied into other works witb- 
ont experimental eouArmalion, and the small sample 
obtained from the Ganjam district for analysis by Mr. 
Hooper shewed that the alkaloid present was neither 
slrychinen or brucine. The leaves contained a peculiar 
tannio acid similar to that found in other mistletoes, 
and a resin soluble iu ether and alcohol, striking a 
blond red colour with strong sulphuric acid, and the 
chemical eoustituonts ire said to be altogether different 
to those found in the leavea of the Nnx Vomica, " and 
this fact ’■ Mr. Hooper fays " goes to disprove the 
theory that parasites partake of the properties of their 
hosts." In oon&rmation of this M, Chatin recently con- 
tributed to the Paris Academy of Sciences a note ou 
the biology of parasites in which be asserts that the 
tannin of the mialleloe is not identical with that of 
the Oak on which it grows ; that the Loranthus on the 
Nux Vomica does not contain a trace of either stry- 
ohuine or brnoine and that the Balanophora parasite 
on Cinchona Oaliaaya docs not oontiin any of the 
a kaloids of Oiuchona back. “ It is evident thorefoce" 
says Mr. Hooper " that the sap absorbed from the 
host plant must be modilied by the parasite to form its 
own peouliar prodnote." 
Analtbis of Tea in Pabis. — The Chemist and 
Dnipijist states that at a meeting of the Faria 
Society of Pbacmaoy on February 3, Mr. Biitker 
made some remarks on the aualyBis of tea. With his 
usual interest in all that appertains to the chemistry 
of artioles of alimentation in daily use, the affable 
vice-president has gone into the matter with various 
tea merobauts, besides studying the latest works on 
the subject. Ue gave the meeting a digest of these 
with his own observations thereupon. He thought 
it pretty well establithed that the commercial value 
of black tea is in direct proportions to the amount 
of theine contained in the sample analysed. Id 
the oase of green tea, this test does not answer, the 
question to be studied being rather the amount of 
tannin. Those remarks aroused evident interest, 
and a lively oonvereational discussion followed. 
Some five or six members raised various points, 
but M. Biirker apparently sueceoded in satisfying 
bis inleilocutors. 
