PHARMACEUTICAL  GLEANINGS. 
hyoscyamus,  &c.)  for  extract,  was  by  means  of  the  stones  of  a 
drug  mill,  which,  however,  did  the  wort  so  effectually  that  there 
was  reason  to  believe  the  amount  of  product  was  increased  by  a 
portion  of  the  vegetable  fibre  being  reduced  to  a  fine  pulp  and 
pressed  out  with  the  juice.  Those  who  sent  their  herbs  to  a  mill 
to  be  crushed,  suffered  the  inconvenience  of  delay  in  the  process, 
which  was  objectionable,  as  the  juice  ought  to  be  evaporated  as 
soon  as  expressed.  Mr.  Bell  had  tried  several  experiments  with 
a  view  of  obtaining  a  substitute  for  a  drug  mill.  One  of  these 
had  a  pair  of  mill-stones  about  two  feet  six  in  diameter,  working 
on  a  fiat  stone  and  turned  by  hand.  This  did  not  answer  as  the 
stones  were  not  heavy  enough  to  crush  the  harder  portions  of 
the  plant,  and  the  labor  of  working  the  machine  by  hand  was  too 
Fig.  14. 
great.  Another  machine  was  contrived  having  two  cylinders 
between  which  the  herbs  were  crushed.  As  there  was  no  contri- 
vance for  approximating  the  cylinders,  according  to  circumstan- 
ces, this  did  not  answer,  as  some  portions  of  the  herbs  and  roots 
passed  through  without  being  crushed,  while  other  portions 
would  not  pass  at  .  all.  By  the  assistance  of  Mr.  Coffey,  ma- 
chinist, he  had  a  machine  (fig,  14,)  made  which  was  the  best  he 
