378  VARIETIES. 
plaster,  and  set  aside,  with  occasional  agitation,  for  two  days. 
The  clear  pale  brownish  yellow  liquid  is  then  decanted  into  an- 
other vessel  containing  doable  its  bulk  of  alcohol  fortius,  when 
the  gutti  will  be  precipitate.!  in  the  form  of  a  brilliantly  white 
tenacious  mass,  which  is  pounded  together  in  a  mortar,  and 
rolled  into  cylindrical  sticks. — American  Druggists  Circular. 
Mummy  Wheat.— The  <Pres$e  Scientifique  des  Deux  Mondes'  contains  a 
description  of  a  series  of  experiments  made  in  Egypt  by  Figari-Bey  on  the 
wheat  found  in  the  ancient  sepulchres  of  that  country.  A  long  dispute 
occurred  a  few  years  ago,  as  to  what  truth  their  might  be  in  the  popular 
belief,  according  to  which  this  ancient  wheat  will  not  only  germinate  after 
the  lapse  of  three  thousand  years,  hut  produce  ears  of  extraordinary  size 
and  beauty.  The  question  is  undecided  ;  but  Figari  Bey's  paper,  addressed 
to  the  Egyptian  Institute  at  Alexandria,  contains  some  facts  which  appear 
much  in  favor  of  a  negative  solution.  One  kind  of  wheat  which  Figari- 
Bey  employed  for  his  experiments  had  been  found  in  Upper  Eg\  pt,  at  the 
bottom  <d"a  tomb  at  Medinet- Aboo,  by  M.  Schnepp,  secretary  to  the  Egyptian 
Institute.  There  were  two  varieties  of  it,  both  pertaining  to  those  still  cul- 
tivated in  Egypt.  The  form  of  the  grains  had  not  changed  ;  but  their  color, 
both  without  and  within,  had  become  reddish,  as  if  they  had  been  exposed 
to  smoke.  The  specific  weight  was  also  the  same,  viz.,  twenty  five  grains 
to  a  gramme  On  being  ground  they  yield  a  good  deal  of  flour,  but  are 
harder  than  common  wheat,  and  not  very  friable;  the  color  of  the  flour  is 
somewhat  lighter  than  that  of  the  outer  envelope.  Its  tasie  is  bitter  and 
bituminous  ;  and  when  thrown  into  the  fire,  it  emits  a  slight  but  pun- 
gent smell.  On  being  sown  in  moist  ground,  under  the  usual  pressure 
of  the  atmosphere,  and  at  a  temperature  of  25°  (Re  turner),  the  grains 
became  soft,  and  swelled  :i  little  during  the  first*  four  days;  on  the 
seventh  day  their  tumefaction  became  more  apparent,  with  an  appear- 
ance of  maceration  and  decomposition  ;  and  on  the  ninth  day  this  decom- 
position was  complete.  No  trace  of  germination  could  be  discovered 
during  all  this  time.  Figari-Bey  obtained  similar  negative  results  from 
grains  of  wheat  f  >und  in  other  sepulchres,  and  also  on  barley  proceeding  from 
the  same  source;  so  that  there  is  every  reason  to  believe  that  the  ears 
hitherto  ostensibly  obtained  from  mummy  wheat  proceed  from  grain 
accidentally  contained  in  the  mould  into  which  the  former  was  sown. —  Vete- 
rinarian, March,  18G3, 
