284  Formulas  for  Galenical  Preparations.  {AmjJu0nUe'-i9£arm' 
Mix  the  glycerin  with  600  c.c.  alcohol  and  250  c.c.  water  and 
moisten  the  drug  with  a  portion  of  this  mixture.  Pack  in  a  perco- 
lator and  pour  on  enough  of  the  menstruum  to  leave  a  layer  of 
liquid  above  the  drug,  and,  as  soon  as  the  percolate  commences  to 
drop,  cork  up  the  percolator,  cover  it  and  allow  to  macerate  for  two 
or  three  days.  Continue  the  percolation,  gradually  adding  the 
balance  of  the  mixture,  and  continue  with  a  menstruum  of  2 
volumes  alcohol  and  I  volume  water  until  the  drug  is  exhausted. 
Reserve  the  first  850  c.c.  of  the  percolate,  recover  the  alcohol  from 
the  remainder  and  concentrate  to  a  soft  extract.  Dissolve  this  in 
the  reserve  and  make  up  the  volume  to  1,000  c.c.  with  a  mixture  of 
alcohol  2  volumes  and  water  1  volume. 
Lachnanthes — Wool  Flower,  Red  Root. — The  entire  plant  of 
Gyrotheca  capitata  (Walt.),  Morong.,  Lachnanthes  tinctoria,  Ell. 
The  subject  of  this  note  is  an  indigenous  plant  of  the  Atlantic  sea- 
board of  the  United  States,  from  Massachusetts  to  Florida.  It  is 
found  growing  on  the  borders  of  ditches  in  sandy  swamps  and  the 
cranberry  bogs  of  New  Jersey  appear  to  be  favored  spots  for  its 
habitation.  I  have  found  it  growing  as  far  from  the  coast  as  Atco 
and  Berlin,  in  Camden  County.  The  materials  for  the  experiments 
of  the  writer  were  collected  near  Hammonton,  in  Atlantic  County, 
where  it  is  fairly  abundant. 
Lachnanthes  is  a  perennial  herb  \y2  to  2^2  feet  high.  The  lower 
leaves  are  equitant ;  the  upper  or  stem  leaves  are  alternate,  being 
gradually  reduced  in  size  until  those  at  the  top  become  mere  bracts. 
The  plant  is  largely  propagated  by  stoloniferous  rhizomes  ;  the  roots 
are  fibrous  and  have  a  bright  red  color.  The  flowers  are  in  dense 
terminal  cymous  panicles,  are  yellow  and  externally  densely  woolly. 
The  capsule  is  three-valved,  and  each  cell  contains  about  six  disk- 
like seeds.  The  seed-coat  also  contains  a  bright  red  coloring  matter 
and  an  intensely  bitter  principle.  When  chewed  the  plant  colors 
the  saliva  yellowish-red  and  leaves  a  decidedly  acrid  taste.  This 
acridity  is  probably  due  to  calcium  oxalate,  as  numerous  acicular 
crystals  of  this  salt  are  shown  on  microscopic  examination  of  sec- 
tions.   The  acridity  largely  disappears  on  drying. 
The  coloring  matter  present  in  the  roots  and  seeds  attracted  the 
attention  of  the  early  observers  and  writers,  and  J.  Redoute  ("  Les 
Liliacese  ")  wrote  :  "  The  roots  and  seeds  yield  to  simple  infusion  a 
red  color  analogous  to  that  obtained  from  garance  (madder),  but  not  so 
