366 
VARIETIES. 
Salt  of  Western  Pennsylvania.  By  James  C.  Booth  and  T.  H.  Garrett. 
— The  value  of  common  salt  for  dairy  purposes,  preserving  food,  and  for 
general  use,  and  the  singularly  advantageous  position  of  the  salt  springs  or 
wells  of  Western  Pennsylvania,  issuing  at  the  mouths  of  coal  mines,  led  us 
to  investigate  the  relative  purity  of  some  of  the  salt  manufactured  there,  in 
comparison  with  foreign  salt  imported  and  largely  employed  on  the  coast. 
We  subjected  to  analysis,  Turk's  Island,  Liverpool  ground  Rock,  and  two 
samples  of  salt,  coarse  and  fine,  kindly  furnished  us  by  Mr.  Lewis  Peterson, 
of  Salina  Farm,  near  Tarentum,  Pennsylvania,  where  and  by  whom  the 
two  samples  were  manufactured. 
The  following  tabular  arrangement  of  the  result  of  analysis  gives  a 
clearer  comparative  view  of  their  relative  purity  and  value  : 
Chloride 
of 
Sodium. 
Chloride 
of 
Magnes. 
Chloride 
of 
Calcium . 
Sulphate 
of 
Magnes. 
Sulphate 
of 
Lime. 
Coarse,  Tarentum,  Penn.. 
Fine,       "  " 
Liverpool  ground  Rock, 
Turk's  Island, 
97.89 
98.87 
98.55 
93.85 
1.00 
0.51 
0.08 
3.47 
1.11 
0.62 
none. 
none. 
none, 
none. 
0.16 
none. 
trace. 
trace. 
1.21 
2.68 
Beside  these,  the  Turk's  Island  contains  a  little  sand,  of  which  the 
others  only  contain  traces.  The  difference  between  them  is  evidently  that 
the  impurities  in  the  Pennsylvania  salt  are  chlorides,  and  in  the  others,  sul- 
phates of  lime  and  magnesia.  Since  the  chlorides  are  easily  removed  by 
washing,  it  is  evident  that  the  Pennsylvania  salt  might  be  brought  to  a 
state  of  absolute  purity,  if  it  were  desirable  or  necessary.  The  salt  manu- 
factured by  Mr.  Lewis  Peterson,  bears  a  close  comparison  with  the  Liver- 
pool ground  Rock,  and  his  fine  variety  surpasses  it.  Both  of  his  varieties 
are  4  or  5  per  cent,  purer  than  Turk's  Island  salt. — Journal  of  the  Franklin 
Institute  of  Pennsylvania. 
Cacliou  Aromatisa. — Take  of  extract  of  liquorice  and  water,  of  each  3  J 
oz. ;  dissolve  by  the  heat  of  a  water-bath,  and  add  Bengal  catechu,  in 
powder,  4G2  grs. ;  gum  arabic,  in  powder,  231  grs.  ;  evaporate  to  the  con- 
sistence of  an  extract,  and  then  incorporate  the  following  substances,  pre- 
viously reduced  to  fine  powder: — Mastic,  cascarilla,  charcoal,  and  orris 
root,  of  each  30  grs.  ;  reduce  the  mass  to  a  proper  consistence,  remove  it 
from  the  fire,  and  then  add  English  oil  of  peppermint  30  drops,  tincture 
of  ambergris  and  tincture  of  musk,  of  each  5  drops  ;  pour  it  on  an  oiled 
slab,  and  spread  it  out,  by  means  of  a  roller,  to  the  thickness  of  a  sixpenny 
piece ;  after  it  has  cooled,  apply  some  folds  of  blotting  paper  to  absorb  any 
adhering  oil,  moisten  the  surface  with  water,  and  then  cover  it  with  the 
sheets  of  silver  leaf.  It  must  now  be  allowed  to  dry,  then  cut  into  very 
thin  strips,  and  these  again  divided  into  small  pieces,  about  the  size  of  a 
fenugreek  seed. — Pharm.  Jour n.,  from  Journal  de  Pharmacie. 
