556  BORACIC  ACID  SPRINGS  IN  TUSCANY. 
however,  the  nearer  you  can  get  it  to  spoiling,  without  actually 
doing  so,  the  better  it  will  be.  It  has  to  be  turned  and  moved 
constantly  until  it  is  thoroughly  fermented,  when  it  is  taken 
down  stairs  again  and  put  through  the  mill.  This  mill  consists 
of  a  series  of  conical  hoppers  called  "  mulls,"  in  which  are  placed 
four  vertical  iron  rollers,  which  act  as  mill  stones  in  grinding 
the  tobacco.  The  manufacturer  has  to  give  security  in  1000 
dollars  for  each  "  mull  "  also,  to  insure  the  payment  of  his  tax 
to  the  government.  The  tobacco  comes  out  of  the  "mull  "  in 
the  shape  of  what  is  called  "  coarse  meal,"  the  grain  being  about 
twice  the  size  of  coarse  Indian  meal.  After  being  wet  and 
manipulated  this  becomes  "  Kappee  "  snuiF  without  further 
grinding,  and  is  the  cheapest  kind.  The  whole  mass  is  then 
put  into  barrels  in  a  perfectly  cool  condition.  It  has  no  smell 
or  flavor  whatever.  After  remaining  in  the  barrels  a  short  time 
it  becomes  heated,  and  in  the  course  of  ten  days  or  two  weeks 
it  is  taken  out,  with  a  high  flavor  and  strength.  The  longer  it 
is  kept  in  the  barrels  the  darker  it  becomes  in  color,  and  it  also 
gains  additional  strength.  Salt  is  then  mixed  with  it  to  cool  it 
down  and  keep  it.  If  "Scotch"  snuff  is  desired,  it  is  made 
perfectly  dry,  and  ground  in  the  mill  again  to  make  it  of  finer 
grain.  This  is  the  whole  mystery  of  snuff'-making. — Morgan  s 
Brit.  Trade  Journ.^  J^lj  2,  1869,  from  iVew  Yorlz  Druygists' 
Circular. 
THE  BORACIC  ACID  SPRINGS  IN  TUSCANY. 
To  the  Editor  of  the  Pharmaceutical  Journal. 
Under  the  impression  that  some  of  your  readers  might  like  to 
see  a  short  account  of  these  interesting  springs,  I  have  jotted 
down  a  few  memoranda  which  I  made  on  the  occasion  of  a  visit 
to  one  of  them  in  the  summer  of  last  year. 
Six  in  number,  and  all  of  volcanic  origin,  the  springs  are 
situated  high  up  the  mountains,  nearly  midway  between  Florence 
and  Rome.  The  scenery  during  the  greater  part  of  the  journey 
from  Florence  is  very  beautiful,  the  road  passing  through  vine- 
yards and  olive  plantations,  varied  by  large  copses  of  myrtle 
bushes.  In  the  immediate  neighborhood  of  the  springs,  how- 
ever, it  is  as  uninteresting  as  can  well  be  imagined,  the  large 
