AMERICAN  PHARMACEUTICAL  ASSOCIATION.  513 
An  invitation  to  hold  the  next  meeting  of  the  Association  in 
New  York,  and  another  to  hold  it  at  Columbia,  S.  C,  were 
received. 
Charles  Ellis,  of  Philadelphia,  laid  before  the  Association  a 
specimen  of  the  new  resin  of  Scainmony,  made  by  McAndrew  & 
Sons  from  the  root  of  Convolvulus  scammonia,  by  means  of 
alcohol,  and  some  explanatory  information  in  relation  to  its  histo- 
ry was  given  by  Messrs.  Dix,  Squibb,  Procter,  Parrish  and  Fish. 
Mr.  Dix  subsequently  presented  to  the  Association  a  quantity 
of  this  new  resin  of  scammony,  and  requested  members  who 
had  facilities  to  do  so,  to  have  it  tried  and  compared  with  the 
best  scammony,  and  report  the  results. 
An  invitation  was  received  from  Mr.  Cutting,  of  the  Aquarial 
Garden,  to  visit  that  Exhibition,  and  the  thanks  of  the  Associa- 
tion were  tendered  therefor. 
At  six  o'clock  the  meeting  adjourned  till  half  past  seven,  P.  M. 
Evening  Session. 
This  Session  being  devoted  to  the  reading  of  scientific  reports 
and  papers,  the  specimens  of  living  plants  sent  from  the  Depart- 
ment of  the  Interior,  at  Washington,  were  placed  on  the  table. 
Among  them  were  the  camphor  tree,  the  cork  oak  (Quercus 
suber),  green  and  black  tea  plant,  the  Rhus  succedanea,  from 
Japan,  which  affords  the  Japanese  wax,  the  soap  plant  (Corchoris 
olitorius),  and  the  wild  chamomile  (Pyrethrum  Caucasium)  from 
Russia. 
On  coming  to  order,  at  half  past  seven  o'clock,  the  President 
appointed  the  following  committee  to  prepare  a  list  of  subjects 
to  be  reported  on  next  year: — William  Procter,  Jr.,  Frederick 
Stearns,  Charles  T.  Carney  and  Israel  J.  Grahame. 
Edwin  0.  Gale,  of  Chicago,  read  the  first  paper  on  the 
thirty-ninth  question,  "  What  are  the  characters  of  the  resinous 
exudation  of  the  Rosin  weed  (Silphium  laciniatum)  of  the  West- 
ern prairies  ?  can  it  be  substituted  for  mastic,  and  to  what  extent 
may  it  be  collected  as  an  article  of  commerce?"  Mr.  Gale 
thinks  it  can  be  substituted  for  mastic  in  chewing ;  he  finds  it 
to  make  a  good  varnish ;  that  it  is  a  cure  for  the  heaves  in 
horses,  and  allays  irritation  of  the  lungs.    Although  the  prairies 
