Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
June,  1887. 
Laboratory  Notes. 
279 
same  manner  with  stronger  ether,  by  which  1*20  per  cent,  of  a  red- 
dish-brown extract  were  obtained.  This  had  in  a  marked  degree  the 
odor  and  taste  of  the  original  drug,  thus  showing  that  petroleum 
spirit  will  not  exhaust  all  the  odorous  principle  from  this  bark.  Ab- 
solute alcohol  extracted  14*70  per  cent,  of  a  reddish-brown  mixture 
composed  of  resin,  tannin  and  coloring  matter. 
The  same  gentleman  estimated  the  ash  in  four  samples  of  powdered 
cinnamon  cassia  and  obtained  in  No.  1,  2*8  per  cent: ;  No.  2,  2*5 
per  cent. ;  Xo.  3,  4*6  per  cent.  ;  Xo.  4,  5'00  per  cent. 
In  both  of  the  above  series  Xo.  1  was  undoubtedly  pure  and  may 
be  taken  as  a  standard.  In  the  first  series  Xo.  2  was  also  probably 
pure,  while  Xo.  3  was,  no  doubt,  adulterated.  The  cassia  sample 
Xo.  2  was  probably  pure,  while  Xos.  3  and  4  were  undoubtedly  adul- 
terated ;  such  samples  would  be  worthy  of  further  critical  examina- 
tion. From  the  amount  of  ash  in  cacao  shells  it  would  be  reasonable 
to  suppose  that  they  had  become  mixed  with  the  cassia  and  raised  the 
ash  over  2  per  cent. 
R,  C.  Werner,  Ph.  G.,  examined  five  samples  of  ground  mustard 
(Sinapis  alba).  Xo.  1,  the  purity  of  which  I  can  vouch  for,  yielded 
6*00  per  cent,  of  ash,  and  was  free  from  starch.  Xo.  2,  5*00  per 
cent. ;  Xo.  3,  4'50  per  cent.  ;  Xo.  4,  4*25  per  cent.;  Xo.  5,  5'25  per 
cent,  of  ash. 
Each  of  the  last  four  gave  abundant  evidence  of  starch.  As  that 
was  the  only  adulteration  found,  the  ash  might  reasonably  be  taken 
as  an  index  of  the  amount  of  it.  In  which  case  we  would  have 
about  the  following : 
No.  1.  Pure. 
No.  2.  Mustard  83  parts.  Starch  ]  7  parts. 
No.  3.  Mustard  75  parts.  Starch  25  parts. 
No.  4.  Mustard  70  parts.  Starch  30  parts. 
No.  5.  Mustard  87.5  parts.  Starch  12.5  parts. 
Xos.  2  and  3  were  obtained  from  grocers ;  Xos.  4  and  5  from  phar- 
macists. 
G.  Steinmann,  Ph.  G.,  examined  seven  samples  of  powdered  squill. 
The  ash  amounted  from  Xo.  1,  to  3*30  per  cent.  ;  Xo.  2,  to  8  20  per 
cent.  ;  Xo.  3,  to  2*70  percent. ;  Xo.  4,  to  3*95  percent, ;  No.  5,  to  3'65 
per  cent, ;  No.  6,  to  3'30  per  cent,;  No.  7,  to  4*00 per  cent.  No.  1  was 
known  to  be  pure,  therefore  was  free  from  starch  or  any  other  sub- 
stance that  might  be  added  on  the  pretext  of  assisting  the  grinding  or 
