146 
THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. 
[August 19, 1571. 
and sprouted out vigorously on the opening of spring, 
hut the land where they were established being required 
for other purposes, they were transplanted. The place 
selected for their removal was rather low, and the wet 
season proved very unfavourable for their establishment; 
hence during the summer the larger part of the plants 
died; the few survivors were left for seed. 
This plant has become naturalized, and is now growing 
wild in many parts of Canada, so that there is little doubt 
but that its culture, if desirable, might be made success¬ 
ful. A series of preparations have been made, in this 
case, similar to those made from belladonna, with results 
as follows: — 
1 lb. of herb of Canadian 
growth yielded of solid 
aqueous extract, 2 oz. 6 drs. 
4 grs. 
Solid alcoholic extract, 1 
oz. 3 drs. 
1 lb. of imported herb 
yielded of solid aqueous ex¬ 
tract, 3 oz. 4 drs. 44 grs. 
Solid alcoholic extract, 2 
oz. 2 drs. 50 grs. 
Showing a difference of yield also in favour of the im¬ 
ported herb of G drachms 40 grains aqueous extract, and 
7 drachms 50 grains alcoholic extract. 
The odour of the fluid extracts seems exactly alike; 
that from the aqueous extracts is also similar, although 
the advantage seems to rest with the Canadian article ; 
while the alcoholic extracts again differ materially, the 
foreign article having the weaker odour. 
The culture of Digitalis purpurea has not been at¬ 
tended with much success. A good quantity (2 oz.) of 
seed has been sown; but either the seed has been worth¬ 
less, or it has been sown too deep, so that very few 
plants have appeared. Some of those grown last year 
survived the winter without protection, but many of 
them died. Seed sown this year has also come up very 
sparingly. 
Dill was tried last season without success; the plants 
grew well and flowered, but the season proved too short 
for the seed to mature. Besides, it was almost destroyed 
by the attacks of a small caterpillar, which affects nearly 
all the umbelliferous plants with us. It is the progeny 
of a pretty little moth called Depressaria Ontariella. This 
little creature feeds on the unopened flowers, drawing 
the various portions of the umbel together with threads 
of silk, soon disfiguring and destroying them. Had the 
seed ripened, three-fourths of the crop would probably 
have been lost from this cause. 
. Fenugreek was also tried. It came up very thick, and 
did well; its peculiar odour perfumed the air for some 
distance around the patch during the latter part of the 
season,^ but the seeds, which formed well in their long 
pods, did not ripen sufficiently to be of any value. Better 
success attended the growth of coriander and caraway. 
One-eighth of an acre of coriander, with half a pound of 
seed, yielded 110 lb.; and one-fifteenth of an acre of 
caraway, with half a pound of seed, 106 lb., the corian- 
ders maturing their seed the same season that they were 
planted; the caraways not maturing till the second year. 
Many other of the common herbs have been success¬ 
fully grown, including wormwood, sage, hyssop, thyme, 
rue, horehound, rosemary, summer savory, poke-root 
and elecampane. Seeds of leptandra and glycyrrhiza 
germinated well, but the growth of both has been weak. 
A quarter of a pound of dandelion seed has been sown 
this season on about three-fourths of an acre of ground. 
The plants have made very good growth, the roots hav¬ 
ing already attained about half an inch or more in dia¬ 
meter, and will probably acquire size sufficient to give a 
profitable yield before the close of the season. 
The following includes most of the complete failures, 
that is, when the seed did not germinate at all:— Arnica 
montana, Veratrum album , Gentiana lutea , Aconitum Na- 
pellus , Angelica , Solanum Dulcamara , Colchicum autumnalt, 
bryonia alba and Polygala Senega.—Proceedings of the 
American Pharmaceutical Association. 
PAROCHIAL CHEMISTRY. 
That chloride of calcium and many other salts absorb 
water from the air, and that aqueous solutions of such 
salts will not dry up at the ordinary temperature of the 
atmosphere, even in summer, are facts so certain and so 
familiar as to have wellnigh acquired, in the estimation 
of chemists, the rank of necessary truth. 
We learn that a civil engineer, in the employ of one 
of the London vestries, has made the discovery that a 
solution of deliquescent chlorides dries up as fast and as 
completely as pure water when exposed to the action of 
the summer sun. The locality in which so important an 
observation was made is the parish of St. George’s, the 
occasion being the laying down of Mr. Cooper’s deli¬ 
quescent salts in the streets of that parish. We under¬ 
stand that the labourers employed under the distinguished 
engineer in question have made the still more remark¬ 
able observation that these deliquescent salts accelerate 
the evaporation of water. It appears that that which 
passes current among chemists relative to the properties 
of deliquescent salts is regarded by the eminent engineer 
in question as purely theoretical, as distinguished from 
his own observations and those of his men, who observe 
practical facts.— The Lancet. 
Druggists* Shops in Djidda. —Djidda is the sea¬ 
port of Mecca, and is little more than a day’s journey 
from that famous city. Its trade, for an Eastern town, 
is considerable, and frequently forty or fifty ships may 
be counted lying together in its harbour. Some of the 
best shops in Djidda are those belonging to druggists, 
who do a lucrative trade. They are chiefly from India 
or of Indian descent. Besides dealing in all sorts of 
drugs, they sell candles, sugar, perfumery and incense, 
which is much used by the wealthy inhabitants, who 
perfume their best rooms every morning. For this 
purpose mastic and sandal-wood burnt upon charcoal 
are in great request. Coffee is rarely drunk in private 
houses without an admixture of cardamoms or cloves, 
and spices of all sorts and red pepper form an essential 
ingredient of most dishes. Another article of trade is 
rosebuds, which are brought from the Gardens of Tayf. 
The people of the Hedjaz, especially the ladies, not only 
steep them in the water used for their ablutions, but 
boil them with sugar and make a preserve of them.— 
Food Journal. 
Sulphur in the Province of Caltanicetta, Sicily. 
—The following extract is taken from a report sent by 
M. Thibaudier, of the French consulate at Palermo, to 
the Minister of Foreign Affairs, 20th January, 1870. In 
the province there are altogether about 134 mines at 
work, which employ 11,000 workmen, and produce 
105,350 tons of sulphur. This is almost entirely trans¬ 
ported to the coast by means of mules, and is shipped 
from the ports of Girgenti, Catane, Terranova and Licata. 
The price varies from twenty-two to fifty francs per ton. 
The principal mines of the province, either from the de¬ 
velopment which they have already obtained, or from 
the importance that they are likely to acquire in a short 
time, are in the mining district of Caltanicetta, viz. 
Trabonello Gebbria rossa, and Giordano (stretto); the 
Capo d’Arso and Floristella, in the Castro Giovani dis¬ 
trict ; Gallitano, in the district of Mazzarino; Grotta- 
calda, in that of Piazza; Sociale, in the Montedoro dis¬ 
trict ; Solfare Grande, in the Sommatino district; and 
in the Riesi district, the mines of Solfara del flume, 
Apaforte, and Stincone. Some of these mines already 
have a production of from five to eight thousand tons 
annually, as Trabonello, Capo d’Arso, Solfare Grande, 
Grottacalda, and Solfara del flume. All the mines are 
capable of great development.— Journ. Society of Arts. 
