98 
PEACTICAL  AND  SCIENTIFIC  NOTES. 
allow  it  to  stand  undisturbed  for  several  days,  when  it  will  be 
found  to  have  separated  into  two  layers,  the  upper  of  which  is 
of  a  greenish  brown  color,  and  oily  in  its  nature.  This  is  to  be 
separated  by  syphoning  off  one  stratum,  and  by  means  of  a 
separatory  funnel. 
From  188  lbs.  avoird.,  we  obtained,  at  the  U.  S.  Army  Labora- 
tory, six  pints  of  this  oil,  which  I  intend  to  examine  as  soon  I 
can  find  the  necessary  time  for  doing  so.  Meanwhile,  I  may 
state  the  result  of  a  few  experiments  made  with  it. 
Two  pints  were  introduced  into  a  glass  retort  with  a  ther. 
mometer  inserted,  and  a  carefully  regulated  heat  was  applied. 
The  oil  commenced  to  boil  at  184°  F.,  at  which  point  the  tem- 
perature was  kept  for  some  time;  but  when  boiling  had  almost 
entirely  ceased,  the  temperature  was  allowed  to  rise  gradually. 
Boiling  recommenced  briskly  at  186°,  and  the  temperature  rose 
within  two  and  a  half  hours  to  196°.  During  all  this  time  al- 
cohol distilled  over ;  the  concussions  finally  became  so  violent 
that  the  distillation  had  to  be  discontinued.  The  alcohol  mea- 
sured TO  fluidounces,  had  at  65°  a  specific  gravity  of  .850,  and 
was  almost  free  from  foreign  odor.  The  remaining  oil  was  of 
the  original  color,  only  a  shade  darker;  its  specific  gravity  at 
60°  is  -9069  ;  it  dissolves  almost  in  all  proportions  in  alcohol  of 
-850  and  below,  but  is  very  sparingly  soluble  in  diluted  alcohol. 
From  the  manner  in  which  it  has  been  originally  obtained,  it  is 
evident  that  it  has  the  property  of  taking  up  some  stronger  al- 
cohol when  left  in  contact  with  diluted  idcohol.  When  agitated 
with  solution  of  ammonia,  it  forms  a  soft,  pasty  compound. 
Veratrum  viride.  One  hundred  pounds  of  corms  and  roots 
of  this  plant  were  received,  nearly  every  specimen  of  which  had 
a  portion  of  the  dead  stalk  attached  to  it.  I  had  the  latter 
cut  off,  using  only  corms  and  rootlets  in  the  preparation  of  the 
fluid  extract.  The  stalks,  weighing  11 1  lbs.,  I  intended  to 
utilize  by  preparing  veratria  from  them.  I  boiled  them  twice 
in  w?*tcr  acidulated  with  sulphuric  acid,  expressing  strongly 
each  time.  The  liquid  was  concentrated  by  evaporation  and 
treated  with  strong  alcohol,  when  a  copious  precipitate  was  ob- 
tained, which  contains  a  body  analogous  to  saponin,  if  not  iden- 
tical with  it;  for  its  watery  solution  froths  considerably.  The 
alcoholic  solution  was  treated  with  slacked  lime,  and  a  portion 
• 
