EDITORIAL. 
387 
whilst on a visit to the valley of the Hudson, we accepted an invitation 
from Mr. Henry A. Tilden, to visit his gardens and laboratory situated in the 
township and village of New Lebanon, where he and his brother conduct an 
extensive business in the culture, drying and packing of plants, and the pre- 
paration of medicinal extracts. The Messrs. Tilden informed us that they 
have about forty acres cultivated under their immediate superintendence, 
somewhat in the following arrangement; 9 acres in Taraxacum, 2 in Conium, 
3 in Hyoscyamus, 3 in Belladona, 3 in Lettuce, 3 in Sage, 2 Summer Sa- 
vory, 2 Stramonium, 2 Burdock and Dock, 1 Marjoram, 2 Digitalis, 
2 Parsley, Poppies, and Horehound, 1 Aconite and Balm. The remain- 
der are occupied with Basil, Button Snake root, Blessed Thistle, Borage, Cori- 
ander, Feverfew, Hollyhock, Hyssop, Larkspur, Lovage, Marshmallow, 
Marygold, Mugwort, Mountain Mint, Southern Wood, Tansey, &c. The 
narcotics, especially the Hyoscyamus and Belladonna, require a rich soil, 
and they exhaust the land rapidly. These last attain a height in many 
instances of five feet, but in general from three to four. They are liable 
to be preyed upon more or less, at all seasons of their growth by insects 
and worms peculiar to each, to such an extent in some instances, as to de- 
stroy the crop. Conium maculatum grows spontaneously in all that region 
of country, having become naturalized. It is seen along the roads, and in 
fields that have been abandoned for a time, attaining often the height of six 
feet, and presenting a striking object to the eye, by reason of its subdivided 
foliage. For this reason, the Messrs. Tilden do not cultivate this plant 
very extensively, but depend largely on that of spontaneous growth, which 
they gather from the country many miles around, as far as the Vermont line, 
and in Massachusetts. It is probable that the Conium obtained in this way 
is really more active, weight for weight, than the cultivated, being less suc- 
culent. We noticed the Valeriana officinalis growing with great luxuriance, 
and as high as five feet, although its culture has not as yet been much ex- 
tended. Besides the varieties cultivated, large quantities of indigenous 
plants are purchased from collectors in the West and South, which are re- 
quired in their business. 
Their factory or laboratory is an extensive, oblong, three storied building, 
in the basement of which is a powerful steam engine which performs the 
double duty of propelling the powdering apparatus, and of driving a double 
acting air pump connected with their vacuum evaporators. 
The recent plants intended for extracts are brought to the mill from the 
gardens, reduced to a coarse pulpy state by a pair of chasers, and subject- 
ed to a powerful screw press to extract the juice. This is clarified by 
coagulation, strained, and the pure juice introduced into the large va- 
cuum apparatus, holding several hundred gallons, where it is concentrated 
rapidly to a syrupy consistence, at a temperature varying 110° — 130°, almost 
entirely free from the deteriorating influence of the atmosphere. In the con- 
struction of this apparatus, they have had a view to great extent of tubular 
steam-heating surface, so as to be able to accomplish the very large amount 
