254 
Breeding  for  Atropine. 
f  Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
*-      June,  19 17. 
Fourth,  uniformity  of  distribution.  It  is  of  course  imprac- 
ticable to  analyze  each  pill  separately,  but  an  examination  of  several 
successive  portions  showed  that  the  distribution  was  fairly  uniform. 
In  conclusion  it  should  be  stated  that  if  this  mixture  were  given 
to  a  chemist  for  analysis  without  any  knowledge  on  his  part  as  to  the 
presence  of  the  mercuric  chloride  he  would  in  all  probability  over- 
look it. 
BREEDING  FOR  ATROPINE1 
GREAT  VARIATION  IN  ALKALOIDAL  CONTENT  OF  BELLA- 
DONNA PLANTS  PROMISES  RESULTS  TO  SELECTION- 
EXTERNAL  CHARACTERS  OF  PLANT  SEEM  TO  GIVE 
A  CLUE  TO  ITS  CHEMICAL  CONTENT. 
By  L.  Wayne  Arny,  Director  H.  K.  Mulford  Co.,  Experimental  Drug 
Gardens,  Glenolden,  Pa. 
The  high  prices  paid  for  crude  drugs,  brought  about  by  the  ab- 
normal economic  conditions  of  the  last  few  years,  have  stimulated  a 
wide  and  popular  interest  in  the  cultivation  of  the  plants  yielding 
these  products.  Unfortunately  for  the  crude  drug  industry,  a  great 
part  of  this  interest  has  been  aroused  merely  from  a  view  toward 
financial  investment  and  the  real  issues  at  hand  have  been  generally 
overlooked. 
There  is  no  question  but  that  America  must  grow  a  large  part  of 
her  drug  supply  in  the  future  since  the  drug  importations  are  yearly 
becoming  less  dependable.  The  adulterations  which  are  being  made 
by  collectors  of  crude  drugs  render  the  purchase  of  these  plants  upon 
the  open  markets  extremely  unsatisfactory  and  if  the  American 
manufacturer  of  pharmaceuticals  is  to  produce  articles  of  high  grade, 
he  must  either  grow  his  own  vegetable  drugs  or  obtain  them  from 
someone  who  he  knows  is  growing  them  honestly. 
Certain  economic  facts,  however,  must  be  considered.  Compe- 
tition with  European  peasant  labor  greatly  reduces  the  chances  of 
financial  profit  from  American  production,  and  unless  some  step  can 
be  taken  to  produce  drugs  superior  to  those  of  European  origin,  no 
hope  can  be  found  for  such  an  industry  in  America  upon  a  purely 
financial  basis.  It  is  probable,  however,  that  such  improvement  can 
be  brought  about,  and  the  competition  will  be  changed  from  quantity 
1  Reprinted  from  Jour.  Heredity,  April,  1917,  Vol.  III. 
