Aru.  Juur.  Pharm.  \ 
March,  1896.  J 
North  American  Conifer  ce. 
139 
The  investigation  has  thus  far  thrown  little  or  no  light  on  the 
question  of  the  functions  of  tannin,  whether  it  is  physiologically 
useful  or  whether  it  is  to  be  regarded  as  wholly  a  waste  product  of 
tissue  metamorphosis. 
As  respects  the  origin  of  resin  from  volatile  oil,  the  microscopic 
study  of  the  pines,  especially  of  P.  palustris,  seems  to  afford  pretty 
clear  evidence. 
Old  secretion  reservoirs  were  observed  to  contain  irregular  solid 
or  semi-solid  masses  of  oleoresin,  in  which  apparently  the  resin  is 
the  predominating  element,  while  young  reservoirs  contain  a  more 
fluid  oleoresin  in  the  form  of  globules.  Moreover,  in  the  secretion 
cells  immediately  surrounding  the  reservoirs  the  oleoresin  is  in 
globules  and  evidently  very  fluid.  In  fact,  in  passing  from  the 
younger  to  the  older  portions  of  the  secretion  tissue  there  appears 
to  be  every  gradation  between  a  very  liquid  volatile  oil  and  a  semi- 
solid oleoresin. 
There  appears  to  be  no  question  that  the  oleoresin  is  to  be 
regarded  as  wholly  a  waste  product.  It  clearly  can  play  no  part  in 
the  process  of  nutrition.  Its  only  use  is  that  of  protection  against 
the  destructive  forms  of  animal  life  and  against  vegetable  para- 
sites. 
It  is  highly  antiseptic,  it  protects  mechanically  against  injurious 
insects,  and  its  taste  and  effects  are  disagreeable  to  most  of  the 
higher  animals. 
PINUS  LONGlFOIylA,  ROXB. 
EMODI  PINE,  CHEER  PINE. 
Through  the  courtesy  of  Mr.  A.  E.  Wild,  conservator  of  forests,  Bengal, 
India,  we  have  been  able  to  examine  the  tannin  percentage  and  its  character 
in  a  number  of  coniferous  barks  from  that  section.  This  one  is  introduced 
here  on  account  of  its  close  relation  to  our  own  P.  palustris. 
For  the  history,  description,  etc.,  of  P.  longifolia,  we  are  indebted  to  the 
Pharmacographia  Indica,  Part  VI,  and  to  the  ninth  edition  of  Mueller's  Select 
Extra-Tropical  Plants,  just  received. 
The  Cheer  or  Chir  pine  is  a  tall,  handsome  tree,  with  a  straight,  branch- 
less trunk  for  50  feet,  the  whole  tree  attaining  a  maximum  height  of  100 
feet,  with  a  stem  girth  of  12  feet.  It  is  indigenous  to  Afghanistan  and 
the  Northwest  Himalayas.  The  turpentine  yielded  by  this  tree  is  much  prized 
by  the  natives.  Incisions  are  made  in  the  sap  wood,  and  from  10  to  20 
pounds  of  a  good  quality  of  turpentine  are  obtained  the  first  year;  about  one- 
third  that  amount  is  collected  the  second  year,  after  which  the  tree  either  dies 
or  is  blown  down. 
As  with  our  native  long-leaf  pine,  the  resin  is  the  most  important  con- 
