Am.  Jour.  Pharni.  1 
February.  1900.  J 
Drug  and  Herb  Vendors. 
63 
the  material  already  obtained,  though  the  author  must  confess  his 
inability  to  handle  the  subject  in  the  way  that  it  deserves. 
The  persons  who  earn  a  livelihood  by  collecting  and  selling  drugs 
are  in  nearly  all  cases  colored  people  who  live  in  New  Jersey.  The 
localities  from  which  they  come  embrace  the  whole  of  Camden  and 
Gloucester  Counties.  The  flora  of  this  section  is  of  exceptional 
variety,  as  there  are' a  number  of  large  tide- water  creeks,  among 
which  may  be  mentioned  Pensauken,  Cooper's,  Newton,  Big  Tim- 
ber, Little  Timber,  Woodbury  and  Mantua  Creeks. 
These  people  also  gather  wild  flowers  and  ferns  in  their  appro- 
priate seasons,  and  at  the  holiday  season  they  add  holly,  mistletoe 
and  laurel  to  their  stock  in  trade.  The  flowers,  ferns  and  evergreens 
are  the  most  conspicuous  items  of  their  stock,  arranged  usually  on  sev- 
eral boxes  or  barrels  which  serve  as  counters,  and  many  persons 
who  pass  them  daily  are  unaware  of  the  fact  that  each  vendor  has 
an  assortment  of  roots,  barks  and  herbs,  all  of  excellent  quality 
and  each  tied  up  in  packages,  which  retail  for  5  cents.  These 
packages  usually  average  from  2  to  4  ounces  in  weight,  the  price 
therefore  being  higher  than  the  drugs  purchased  in  the  market. 
The  quality,  however,  is  exceptional,  and  for  display  specimens  or 
for  microscopic  work  no  better  source  of  supply  could  be  found. 
The  subject  has  been  divided  into  three  parts,  namely :  (1)  official 
drugs;  (2)  unofficial  drugs;  (3)  miscellaneous  flowers  and  fruits. 
The  following  list  enumerates  those  official  drugs  which  form 
part  of  the  regular  stock  in  trade,  or  which  will  be  collected  for 
persons  who  wish  to  purchase  them : 
Absinthium, 
Matricaria, 
Allium, 
Melissa, 
Althaea, 
Mentha  piperita, 
Asclepias, 
Mentha  viridis, 
Aspidium, 
Pepo, 
Calamus, 
Phytolacca  fructus, 
Castanea, 
"  radix, 
Chenopodium, 
Podophyllum, 
Chimaphila, 
Prunus  virginiana, 
Cimicifuga, 
Quercus  alba, 
Convallaria, 
Rubus, 
Cypripedium, 
Rumex, 
Euonymus, 
Salvia, 
Eupatorium, 
Sambucus, 
Geranium, 
Sanguinaria, 
