20 
The residue that was not treated with alcohol, when d 
luted with water, also gave-reactions with the above reagent' 
To be sure that the alcohol was not the cause of the trouble 
I tried the dilufealcohol with the reagents, but-could gehn 
reaction. PKe results of this year with alfalfa were confirm 
atory witlr those of Two years ago. : - ./ ‘ c «* * . -f f ... -j.g,, 
" v One hundred grams (1-5 lb.) 'of the finely-ground plan 
‘ were digested with wafer strorigly acidulated with- >sulphuri 
acid. .This Whs filtered and,distilled; the distillate hridan*aci( 
reaction ; barium chrbonafe 'was added do ! form a barium salt 
This barium salt waW heated with alcohol and ! sulphuric acicl 
r When aebtic ether*-was given'Pff, showing, the; presence o 
‘‘acetic acid! 8 ni ^ fl : ->gi -asb 01 u:>rtbb b , 0 .» . e. 
' In- all my work-on the loco, I have never failed to obtaii 
;Vests : for the^lkaloidsp-arid • I have never succeeded an ob 
; taming any physiological effects upon mrySelf-* or rabbits 
Last year I tried the Dragendorff method as' described in hi< 
;‘‘Plant Analysis, 1884, and also the method*’of- Dr-.* Wiley, a< 
published in the American Chemical Journal,- 'VolJ Ilg No. 8 
P a g e 557 * In eithbt case I- did not succeed in elhrariritingtanj 
residue that gave physiological reactions. -My attentionhvas 
called to a paper on the recovery of alkaloids by J.* U.i Lloyd 
of Cincinnati, read at the meeting of the American Pharma 
ceutical Association, aPNew Orleans.*'' He kindly sent mC twc 
copies. His method consists in treating theduid extracted with 
a mixture of equal amounts of dry hydroxide* of ; iroil and bi- 
carbbnate of sodak ’ The stiff magma is-'treated 1 with- chloro¬ 
form a number of times. He says : “ By this method I now 
find alkaloids in rrianydrugs that failed to -yield them hereto¬ 
fore. Indeed, comparatively few drugs are destitute!of. or¬ 
ganic bases:” I tried his plan, as follows: Two kilos. (414,lbs.) 
of the dried and finely-ground plants were packed in a perco¬ 
lator. Percolate it with dilute alcohol (1 alcohol-to T 3 of 
water); evaporate the alcoholic extract to the consistency of 
thick honey ; thicken this with a mixture of equal amounts of 
hydroxide of iron and sodium bicarbonate 1 to' a * thick ‘paste ; 
exhaust with chloroform arid evaporate the chloroform. :The 
chloroform residue is treated with a little- dilute sulphuric acid 
ant l examined f° r alkaloids. H his residue gave me alkaloidal 
reactions but no crystalline substance', nor physiological test 
with rabbits. Prof/Lloyd’s letter contained a statement that 
may be of use to others.who may investigate the subject; “ It 
seems to me from a review of the papers that I have Seen con¬ 
cerning the action of this plant, that-it is evident that the re¬ 
sult of Jts use is that of an increasing toxic agent/.that is, the 
effect is not such as I would suppose would.follow the action 
