800 
THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. 
[April 8, 1871. 
and weighed, affording 10 grains of impure morphia, 
more coloured than either of the other results. 
The use of alcohol in this process is intended to 
retain the colouring matter, yet did not succeed in 
producing a light-coloured morphia. 
The last result, according to Mohr, should contain 
no narcotina, yet, when boiled to exhaustion in ether 
deprived of alcohol, the ethereal liquid afforded O'75 
grain of narcotina, making the result of morphia 
9 25 per cent., and narcotina 0 75 per cent. 
It will appear, by a comparison of these results, 
that the Staples’ process, whilst less complicated than 
either of the others, yields a purer product than the 
Mohr process, and a slightly larger yield of mor¬ 
phia ; whilst the process No. 2, which is suggested 
by the writer, affords the purest and best crystal¬ 
lized morphia, hut is more complicated than either 
of the others. Hence it is the first, or Staples’ pro¬ 
cess that is to he preferred, modified by treating the 
powdered opium with warm benzine as a preliminary 
operation. The final success is greatly aided by 
conducting the evaporation of the liquor at a mode¬ 
rate temperature, which renders the product less 
contaminated with colouring matter. By reducing 
the bulk before precipitation to the extent noted 
above, the precipitation of the morphia is facilitated, 
wdiilst the crystals are equally light-coloured. By 
using benzine beforehand, the extraction of the opium 
will be more thoroughly accomplished.— Amer. Jouni. 
Phurm., from the Proc. Amer. Pharm. Assoc. 1870. 
THE HONEY TRADE OF THE UNITED STATES, 
DOMESTIC AND FOREIGN. 
BY B. F. STACY, CHARLESTOWN, MASS. 
This article, which twenty-five years ago formed quite 
an insignificant article of trade in this country, is rapidly 
increasing year after year in domestic production; whilst 
the amount imported is growing smaller. While less is 
used for pharmaceutical purposes, it nevertheless is 
rapidly increasing in domestic use. It is also used 
largely by confectioners, and is an ingredient of many 
of the fancy beers which have recently become in 
vogue. Some dealers maintain that the honey which 
is the product of a cold climate is vastly superior to that 
of warmer latitudes, which seems almost a contradiction 
to nature, as Southern lands teem with flowers far ex¬ 
celling as a base of supplies to the bees. One sample 
that the writer saw from Canada excelled all others in 
whiteness, clearness and density. Samples from New 
Lork, Minnesota, Vermont and New Hampshire ranked 
next in order. The only way to obtain pure honey is to' 
buy it in the comb, as nearly all the strained honey sold 
in the market bears unmistakable evidence of adultera¬ 
tion ; this is, however, so well known and so easily dis¬ 
covered that it is unnecessary for me to dwell on it, and 
as the adulteration is mostly sugar and occasionally a 
little starch, to give it a whitish appearance, it is at 
least harmless ; would that all the adulterations now in 
use were equally so. Out of ten samples purchased of 
different dealers, eight of them gave plain evidence of 
having been tampered with, the remaining two being 
samples from Cuba, right from the custom-house. 
“In 1860 the total product of honey of the United 
States, reported, was 23,366,357 lb.” “ New York stood 
at the head of the list, with 2,369,751 lb., followed in 
order by North Carolina, 2,055,969 lb.; Kentucky, 
1,768,692 lb.; Missouri, 1,585,983 lb. ; Tennessee, 
1,519,390 1b.; Ohio, 1,459,601 1b.; Virginia, 1,431,591 
lb.; Pennsylvania, 1,402,128 1b.; Illinois, 1,346,803 1b.; 
and Indiana, 1,224,489 lb.; all other States falling be¬ 
low 1,000,000 lb.” “Since the census of 1860 the sta¬ 
tistics obtained have been partial and fragmentary; the 
statistics of Massachusetts for 1865 showed an increase 
of 26 per cent., and that of Iowa for same year an in¬ 
crease of 22 per cent, over the figures of 1860.” “ In 
the winter of 1868-69 the Department of Agriculture 
sent out circulars to known apiarians in most of the 
States, and received returns from 489 counties in 32 
states. The aggregate number of hives reported was 
722,385.” “Estimating for counties not reporting, and 
and making due allowance for the fact that many of 
the counties reporting were giving special attention to 
bee culture, 2,000,000 of hives were deemed as low a 
figure as the returns would warrant. Allowing 151b. 
of surplus honey to the hive (about two-thirds of the 
average reported), the total product in 1868 would be 
30,000,000 pounds, which at an average valuation of 
22^ cents per pound, w r ould give $6,750,000.” “ In 
1868 the quantity of honey imported was 212,176 gal¬ 
lons; value, $117,172; of w T hich 90,452 gallons, value 
$50,569, were re-exported. A very small quantity of 
domestic honey was exported the same year. These 
figures show conclusively that an immense trade in 
honey has been built up in this country and is constantly 
increasing, which will eventually supersede all necessity 
of the importation of any from the West Indies.” A 
small township in Minnesota reports 262 hives; from 
these hives 2826 pounds of surplus honey was taken in 
the season of 1869. When we consider that the cost 
of production is merely nominal, it will be seen that it 
pays to keep bees. 
The writer respectfully acknowledges his indebtedness 
to the Commission of Agriculture for the statistical in¬ 
formation.— American Journal of Pharmacy , from the 
Proceedings of the American Pharmaceutical Association , 
1870. 
NOTE ON CONFECTION OF SENNA. 
BY JOHN W. EHRMAN. 
This preparation, when properly made, is an excellent 
laxative—for habitual constipation superior, perhaps, to 
any other remedy. It is not in such general use among 
physicians or the public as it is entitled to, and this pro¬ 
bably arises from the fact that much of the confection of 
senna of the market has little or no resemblance to the 
officinal article, and is comparatively worthless. Phar¬ 
maceutically considered the officinal process yields a re¬ 
sult which is unobjectionable, save in two particulars; 
first, the presence of the powders of senna and coriander 
(and especially of the latter, which is most difficult to 
prepare) imparts a degree of “ grittiness ” which is dis¬ 
agreeable to the patient, giving the impression that 
“ dirt” is present; secondly, the consistence of the con¬ 
fection when evaporated to the specified weight, varies 
as prepared from different specimens of drugs, and is 
sometimes too thin, when the mass is apt to go into fer¬ 
mentation. Fortunately, these defects may be easily re¬ 
medied. In our opinion, the purging cassia, consider¬ 
ing that it is so difficult to obtain, might well be omitted 
and substituted by an additional quantity of senna, par¬ 
ticularly as there can be no advantage in multiplying 
the number of substances having similar therapeutical 
properties, in tins or other preparations. We have used 
the modified formula given below (the coriander also 
being omitted and substituted by ginger), which is free 
from the objections we have mentioned. It is much 
more agreeable to take than the officinal confection, and 
is equally efficient:— 
Take of Tamarinds .... 
Figs, bruised. 
Prunes, sliced .... 
Fluid Extract of Senna 
„ „ Ginger . 
Sugar . 
Water, a sufficient quantity. 
20 parts. 
20 
15 
10 
1 
30 
99 
11 
91 
19 
19 
