190  Editorial  Notes  and  Comments.  {AmlpXi9warm* 
graduated,  are  indifferent  to  the  matter  of  adulterations  and  rely 
too  much  on  the  wholesaler  to  furnish  pure  articles.  While  many- 
wholesalers  can  be  relied  upon,  others  evidently  cannot,  and  the 
pharmacist  ought  to  consider  it  his  duty  to  try  to  discover  who  the 
unreliable  ones  are,  not  only  for  his  own  interest,  but  also  for  the 
interest  of  those  who  patronize  him.  If  he  buys  adulterated  drugs, 
he  is  a  victim  of  a  fraud,  and  if  he  sells  the  same  drugs,  he  is  guilty 
of  the  same  fraud,  although  it  may  be  unconsciously  perpetrated." 
COLLECTING  CRUDE  DRUGS. 
From  the  inquiries  received  by  the  editor  of  this  Journal  regard- 
ing the  collecting  of  crude  drugs  and  the  possibilities  of  the  subject, 
the  following  circular  letter  issued  by  Allaire,  Woodward  &  Co., 
which  we  are  permitted  to  publish,  gives  the  important  points  con- 
cerning the  time  of  gathering  the  drugs,  the  quantities  necessary 
to  be  gathered  for  profit,  and  some  other  facts  regarding  the  subject 
which  will  be  useful  to  those  interested  in  the  subject : 
"  The  business  of  collecting  roots  and  herbs  in  most  cases  is  not 
a  profitable  one.  It  is  followed  so  largely  by  a  class  of  people  who 
would  rather  earn  50  cents  a  day  in  this  way  than  three  times  the 
amount  at  some  steady  employment  that  it  offers  very  little  induce- 
ment as  a  means  of  earning  a  livelihood.  In  the  Southern  States 
these  goods  are  taken  in  trade  at  the  cros^s-road  stores,  examined, 
graded  and  pressed  in  bales  suitable  for  shipping,  and  it  is  from  this 
source  that  we  obtain  a  large  part  of  our  supplies. 
"The  following  directions  for  gathering  may  be  useful.  Flowers 
should  be  gathered  when  in  their  full  bloom,  or  just  before  they 
begin  to  fade  and  become  dark.  They  should  be  carefully  dried  in 
the  shade.  Leaves  and  herbs  should  be  gathered  at  the  time  they 
are  in  blossom,  kept  free  from  all  large  stems,  grass  and  other 
foreign  matter.  Dry  in  the  shade  to  preserve  the  bright  green  color. 
Barks  should  be  gathered  when  they  peel  easiest ;  all  the  outside 
portion  or  <  ross '  should  be  shaved  off  before  peeling.  Barks  of 
the  roots  of  shrubs  and  trees  need  not  be  rossed,  but  should  be 
washed  clean  and  scraped  before  peeling ;  care  should  be  used  not 
to  expose  to  dew  or  rain  in  drying.  Gentle  fire  heat  or  exposure 
to  the  sun  may  be  used  in  drying  barks.  Roots  should  be  dug  very 
early  in  the  spring  before  plant  growth  begins,  or  late  in  the  fall 
after  the  top  has  dried — never  during  the  growing  season;  roots  dug 
