Am.  Jour.  Pharm.1 
August,  1894.  / 
Contributions  to  Pharmacy. 
401 
ginseng,  for  the  commercial  value  of  the  root,  at  $2  per  pound.  The  greatest 
value  of  the  seed  at  present  is  in  putting  it  in  the  ground  to  get  roots  from  it. 
If  one  works  only  for  self-interest,  it  is  too  much  to  work  up  a  demand  for 
ginseng  seed  to  make  any  money  out  of  it. 
I  have  the  addresses  of  four  parties  in  this  country  who  are  cultivating  the 
root  successfully,  but  fear  to  say  anything  about  it  lest  other  people  engage  in 
it.  I  have  tried  to  get  in  correspondence  with  them  for  interchange  of  experi- 
ence, but  they  are  "mum." 
I  know  of  but  one  cultivator  other  than  myself  who  has  tried  to  bring  this 
matter  before  the  public.  He  has  recently  written  me  that  the  only  way  he 
expects  to  make  any  money  out  of  the  business  is  by  growing  the  root  for  the 
general  market  (in  China). 
My  grounds  are  open  to  all  who  wish  to  investigate.  I  am  in  the  business  to 
stay,  so  long  as  I  have  health  to  carry  it  on,  and  am  willing  to  aid  in  its 
development.  Geo.  Stanton. 
Summit  Station,  N.  Y. 
RECENT  CONTRIBUTIONS  TO  PHARMACY.-^ 
PERU  BALSAM. 
Peru  Balsam. — The  numerous  conflicting  statements  in  reference 
to  the  constituents  of  Peru  balsam  and  the  bark  of  Myroxylon 
Pereira  led  to  the  following  chemical  investigation  of  the  balsam, 
especial  attention  being  paid  to  the  resin  contained  in  the  balsam 
and  to  the  chemical  and  microscopical  characteristics  of  the  bark ; 
for  the  latter  purpose  there  was  available  about  one  kilo,  of  bark 
from  cultivated  trees  of  Myroxylon  Pereira,  which  bark  was 
brought  by  Professor  Tschirch  from  the  botanical  gardens  in 
Buitenzorg,  Java : 
The  previous  investigators  generally  used  strong  alkalies  to  sep- 
arate the  oil  from  the  resin  dissolved  in  it ;  to  obviate  a  possible 
saponification  by  this  method,  the  balsam  was  treated  with  solvents. 
One  kilo,  of  commercial  Peru  balsam,  which  by  careful  examinations 
was  proven  to  be  pure,  was  agitated  with  eight  parts  .carbon  disul- 
phide,  the  solution  decanted  and  the  black  residue  frequently 
digested  on  a  water-bath  with  fresh  portions  of  the  solvent ;  the 
solutions  were  united,  the  solvent  recovered  by  distillation,  and  the 
residue  taken  up  with  ether,  only  a  small  quantity  of  a  brown  resin 
remaining  insoluble.  The  ethereal  solution  was  agitated  with  a 
y2  per  cent. soda  solution  until  it  became  neutral  in  reaction;  upon^ 
separation  and  evaporation  of  the  ethereal  solution,  a  pale-brown 
aromatic  liquid  consisting  of  crude  Peru  "Balsam  oil  (cinnamein);wa& 
