AMERICAN   PHARMACEUTICAL  ASSOCIATION.  509 
18.  What  is  the  correct  history  of  the  production  and  sources  of  sup- 
ply of  Hemlock  or  Canada  pitch,  of  Balsam  of  Fir,  and  of  Oil  of  Hemlock  ; 
and  to  what  extent  are  they  produced  in  the  New  England  States  and 
Canada  ?  Accepted  by  S.  P.  Peck,  of  Vermont. 
19.  The  Elaterium  plant  grows  readily  in  the  neighborhood  of  Boston. 
Can  it  be  availably  cultivated  with  a  view  to  the  extraction  of  its  pecu- 
liar product,  and  does  the  Elaterium  it  yields  compare  favorably  with  the 
English  drug  in  medicinal  power. 
Accepted  by  John  Buck,  Chelsea,  Massachusetts. 
20.  To  what  extent  is  the  fecula  of  Maranta  Arundinacea  produced  in 
Georgia,  Florida,  and  other  Southern  States,  and  what  impediments  pre- 
vent its  being  made  to  rival  that  of  Bermuda  in  excellence  and  beauty. 
Continued  to  Robert  Battey,  M.  D.,  of  Rome,  Georgia. 
21.  What  is  the  extent  "of  the  culture  and  production  of  sugar  from 
the  Sorghum  saccharatum  within  the  U.  S.  in  the  present  year;  what  in- 
ference may  be  drawn  therefrom  of  its  value  as  a  source  of  this  important 
article  ;  and  what  is  the  composition,  and  saccharine  per  centage  of  the 
juice  compared  with  that  of  the  sugar  cane. 
Referred  to  Robert  Battey,  M.  D.,  of  Rome,  Georgia. 
22.  What  are  the  present  sources  of  Senega,  Spigelia  and  other  prom- 
inent American  roots,  etc.  as  supplied  by  commerce  ? 
Continued  to  Prof.  C.  B.  Guthrie,  of  New  York. 
23.  What  is  the  actual  state  of  the  production  of  volatile  oils  in  the 
United  States,  and  more  especially  in  Ohio,  New  York,  and  New  Jersey, 
as  regards  quantity,  quality  and  locality ;  together  with  remarks  on  the 
trade  in  volatile  oils  generally  ? 
Referred  to  Edioard  S.  Wayne,  of  Cincinnati. 
24.  What  is  the  practical  value  of  nitro-prusside  of  copper,  iodine  and 
other  tests  which  have  been  proposed  for  detecting  the  adulterations  of 
volatile  oils  ?  Accepted  by  John  M.  Maisch,  of  Philadelphia. 
25.  Can  arnica  flowers  be  profitably  cultivated  in  the  United  States  ? 
Suggestedby  resolution  of  the  Association  to  Henry  Jl.  Tilden)  Esq.,  of  New 
Lebanon,  New  York. 
26.  The  Silphium  laciniatum  or  resin  weed  of  our  western  prairies  yields 
a  resinous  exudation  in  appearance  like  mastic.  What  is  the  character 
of  this  resinous  product,  can  it  be  substituted  for  mastic,  and  to  what  ex- 
tent may  it  be  collected  as  an  article  of  commerce? 
Accepted  by  Edwin  0.  Gale,  of  Chicago,  Illinois. 
27.  What  are  the  present  sources  of  American  Castor  and  the  method 
of  preparing  it  for  commerce  ?        Accepted  by  T.  R.  Spence,  of  Detroit. 
28.  The  subject  of  the  professional  intercourse  between  physicians  and 
pharmaceutists.  Accepted  by  Samuel  M.  Colcord,  of  Boston. 
