476 
Licorice. 
f  Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
t     Oct.  1, 1874. 
makes  a  considerable  article  of  commerce  "with  this  country.  The 
foest  Italian  roots  are  obtained  from  Martucci,  Ferrara,  and  Cassano, 
and  are  marked  with  their  stamps  ;  these  contain  sixty- two  to  sixty- 
seven  per  cent,  of  soluble  extract,  and  seventeen  to  twenty-six  per 
cent,  of  insoluble  residue.  The  exports  from  Italy  in  1870  were 
177,462  kilogs.,  of  which  60,365  went  to  Great  Britain  ;  43,680  to 
Austria  ;  64,787  to  the  United  States ;  the  remainder  to  France 
and  Holland.  From  Naples  the  value  of  the  licorice  exported  in 
1872  was  63,394?.  sterling.  In  Spain,  the  provinces  of  Seville, 
Yalencia  and  Catalonia  are  the  most  productive ;  from  that  country 
the  exports  in  1868  were  1,859,336  kilogs.,  of  which  1,840,448  went 
to  France;  2,393  to  Great  Britain;  the  remainder  to  Sweden,  Ham- 
burg and  Portugal.  In  both  these  countries  great  attention  is  paid 
to  the  preparation  of  the  sticks,  which  are  termed  "  solazze"  when 
in  a  soluble  form.  The  boiling  requires  the  utmost  care,  as  the  juice 
takes  an  unpleasant  smell  and  flavor  if  burnt  in  the  slightest  degree. 
The  paste  is  manufactured  from  the  month  of  November  till  March, 
the  warm  season  being  very  unfavorable  for  it ;  so  much  so,  that  it 
is  not  advisable  to  ship  any  in  the  summer,  as  it  easily  runs  into  one 
mass  in  the  boxes,  and  then  is  only  fit  to  be  sold  for  damaged  licor- 
ice. Of  the  dried  root,  one  hundred  pounds  yield  about  thirty  pounds 
of  the  black  extract.  When  the  extract  has  been  obtained,  it  is 
poured  into  rolls  of  six  or  eight  inches  in  length,  which  are  bound 
with  bay  leaves  to  prevent  their  adhering  together.  The  best  quality 
should  be  bright,  brittle,  without  pores,  and  of  a  good  fragrant  smell. 
The  licorice  grows  wild  in  Greece,  more  especially  in  the  province  of 
Achaia,  at  Corinth,  Phthiotes  and  Missolonghi,  being  in  great  abun- 
dance, and  the  quality  is  considered  good.  It  is  also  amongst  the 
products  of  the  Levant.  In  the  year  1872  the  imports  into  Great 
Britain  amounted  to  28,000  cwts.  ;  from  France  we  derived  5,603  ; 
from  Spain,  3,399  ;  Italy,  11,170  ;  Turkey,  5,754  ;  other  countries, 
2,474  ;  the  whole  valued  at  75,091?.  sterling.  Our  exports  at  the 
same  time  were  7,414  cwts.,  chiefly  to  the  United  States,  British 
North  America  and  Australia,  valued  at  21,146?.  sterling.  Our 
consumption  of  foreign  licorice  root,  therefore,  exceeded  1,000  tons 
weight,  and  worth  upwards  of  60,000/.  The  uses  of  licorice  were 
well  known  to  the  ancients,  and  at  the  present  day  the  Turks  and 
Egyptians  consume  a  drink,  which  is  sold  in  the  streets  of  their  cities 
in  the  same  manner  as  sherbet,  and  is  known  as  "  Ergoos ;"  in 
