374  Notes  on  the  Permanent  Exhibition.  {Am)liy'-J7^rm' 
until  the  surface  of  the  silver  salt  becomes  soft,  when  the  stick  may 
be  easily  pushed  out  with  a  wire. — Ihid.,  13. 
Mich.  Schlesinger  did  not  succeed  with  parchment  paper,  which  took 
fire,  (was  the  fused  mass  too  hot  ?) — Phar.  Centralhalle,  No.  14. 
Preparation  of  Pyroxylon. — To  obtain  gun  cotton  perfectly  solu- 
ble in  ether,  Mr.  Goddefroy  recommends  a  mixture  of  20  parts  of 
sulphuric  acid  and  10  parts  of  potassium  nitrate,  into  which  at  a  tempera- 
ture of  56°C  (i32*8°F.)  1  part  of  cotton  is  introduced  and  kept  for 
seven  minutes.  The  cotton  should  be  previously  freed  from  fat  by 
boiling  with  solution  of  sodium  carbonate  containing  a  little  potassa, 
and  afterwards  washing  with  water. — Zeitscbr.  Oest.  Apoth.Ver.,  No.  13. 
NOTES  ON  THE  PERMANENT  EXHIBITION. 
By  the  Editor. 
I. 
The  main  building  of  the  Centennial  Exposition  has  been  arranged  to  accommo- 
date the  permanent  international  exhibition  ;  though  the  latter  cannot  be  expected 
to  rival  the  former  in  splendor  and  variety,  yet  it  contains  so  much  of  interest  to  the 
pharmacist,  druggist  and  physician,  that  a  visit  cannot  fail  to  be  instructive.  We 
propose  to  publish  notes  on  such  articles  as  may  be  considered  interesting  to  our 
readers,  and  as  occasion  offers,  to  refer  also  to  similar  articles  which  were  on  exhi- 
bition last  year,  with  the  view  of  rendering  the  account  more  complete. 
Passing  in  through  the  western  entrance,  the  eye  is  attracted  on  the  north  side  of 
the  nave  by  diverse  collections  of  spices  and  manufactures  in  which  they  are  used. 
Among  them  we  find  the  fruit  of  Theobroma  Cacao,  Lin.,  and  also  imitations  of  the 
same  in  chocolate.  The  tree  and  several  closely  allied  species  or  varieties  are  natives 
of  Central  and  South  America,  where  they  have  been  in  cultivation  at  the  time  of 
the  discovery  of  this  continent.  At  present,  not  only  has  this  culture  been  very 
materially  extended,  but  the  tree  has  also  been  introduced  to  the  eastern  hemisphere 
and  is  successfully  cultivated  in  Liberia,  Mauritius,  the  Seychelles  and  Java.  In 
this  connection  we  wish  to  refer  to  a  work  which  was  on  exhibition  last  year,  and 
though  specially  addressed  to  women,  deserves  to  be  more  widely  known,  containing 
as  it  does,  beautiful  folio  plates  in  chromo-lithography  of  Theobroma  cacao,  Musa 
paradisiaca,  Mangifera  indica,  Garcinia  mangostana,  Butea  frondosa,  Anacardium 
occidentale  and  other  well-known  plants  5  the  work  is  entitled  "  Fleurs,  fruits  et 
feuillages  choisis  de  la  flore  et  de  la  pomone  de  Tile  de  Java  j  par  Madame  Berthe 
Hoola  van  Nooten."  It  was  published  at  Brussels,  1866,  with  the  text  in  the  English 
and  French  languages. 
The  preparation  of  the  seed,  the  so-called  chocolate  nut,  for  the  market  requires 
much  attention.  The  large  indehiscent  capsular  fruit  is  collected  when  nearly  or 
quite  ripe,  the  seeds  are  carefully  removed  from  a  sweetish  pulp  and  examined  with 
the  view  of  rejecting  the  unsound  5  they  are  then  placed  in  heaps  for  a  few  days  to 
