338  Corrosive  Sublimate  in  Calomel.  {A™i£$;w,&rw' 
the  40th  parallel,  under  C.  King,  5th  Vol.  Botany,  p.  390.  On  Phragmites 
communis.  Reed-sap  not  saccharine.  Aphides  cause  sweet  secretions  on  its 
leaves  and  those  of  cottonwood  and  other  trees. 
(n)  Dcjrand  and  Hiegard,  Pacific  R.  R.  Survey.  Botanical  Report, 
Washington,  D.  C  ,  1855,  p.  15.  The  Indians  are  said  (by  D.  and  H.)  to  extract 
sugar  from  Phragmites  communis.  This  seems  to  be  contrary  to  the  statement 
in  Reference  10. 
(12)  J.  Ross  Browne.  Resources  of  States  and  Territories  west  of  the 
Rocky  Mountains,  New  York,  1869,  {a)  with  an  appendix,  p.  630,  on  Lower 
California,  and  with  an  historical  addition,  (b)  A  sketch  of  the  settlement  and 
exploration  of  Lower  California,  by  Alex.  S.  Taylor.  In  12  (a)  it  is  mentioned 
that  sugar  cane  abounds  in  Lower  California  ;  12  (b)  contains  further  references. 
(13 )  Encyclopedia  Britannica,  9th  ed.  On  California,  also  on  Lower  Califor- 
nia, points  to  Reference  No.  14. 
( 14)  Gabb  and  Loehr,  with  the  State  Geological  Survey  of  California  in  1867. 
The  original  was  not  accessible.  A  brief  excerpt  is  contained  in  Reference  12 
(6),  p.  66. 
(15)  Report  of  John  A.  VeaTch,  On  Carros  or  Cedros  Island.  Original  not 
accessible.  Brief  excerpt  is  to  be  found  in  Reference  12  (b),  p.  152.  Mentions 
an  l<  agave,"  which  contains  a  sweet  liquid  in  its  flowering  cups. 
(16)  Extracts  from  a  History  of  Old  or  Lower  California.  A  posthumous 
work,  written  originally  in  Spanish  by  Padre  Franc,  favier  Clavijero,  of  the 
Society  of  Jesus.  Translated  into  Italian,  Venice,  1789,  and  back  again  into 
Spanish  by  Nicolas  Garcia,  de  San  Vicente  (Juan  R.  Navarro,  editor),  1852. 
Was  translated  into  English  by  A.  G.  Randall,  Secretary  and  Translator  of  the 
Lower  California  Company's  Exploring  Expedition,  San  Francisco,  May,  1867. 
Original  not  accessible.  An  abstract  to  be  found  in  12  (b),  p.  164.  It  states 
that  there  is  a  reed  growing  in  Lower  California  near  running  streams  that 
yields  manna. 
v     CORROSIVE  SUBLIMATE  IN  CALOMEL.1 
BY  LYMAN  F.  KEBEER. 
The  1890  U.S.P.,  among  other  requirements,  describes  calomel  as 
"  A  white,  impalpable  powder,  showing  only  small,  isolated  crystals 
under  a  magnifying  power  of  100  diameters.  Insoluble  in  water, 
alcohol  or  ether.  In  contact  with  calcium  hydrate  T.  S.,  the  salt  is 
blackened.  If  1  gramme  of  the  salt  be  shaken  with  10  c.c.  of  water 
or  alcohol,  the  respective  filtrates  should  not  be  affected  by  hydrogen 
sulphide  T.  S.  or  silver  nitrate  T.  S.  (absence  of  mercuric  chloride)!' 
Several  years  ago  the  writer  received  a  sample  of  calomel  that 
gave  a  prominent  yellow  coloration  when  treated  with  lime-water. 
Yellow  wash  instead  of  black  wash,  if  you  please.  The  question 
immediately  arose — is  it  possible  that  any  manufacturer  will  put  such 
a  valuable  medicinal  agent  as  calomel  on  the  market  containing 
such  an  apparent  quantity  of  corrosive  sublimate  ?    Further  exami- 
1  Presented  at  the  meeting  of  the  Penna.  Phann.  Assoc.,  June,  1897. 
