Am  Jour  Phaim.)         (Meiminus  (u  Materia  Medim.  307 
June,  1885.  j 
III  China  the  oil  of  C.  oleifera  is  used  for  culiuaiy  purposes  and  as 
a  hair  oil,  and  is  an  important  article  of  trade.  The  seeds  of  C.  Thea 
were  recently  offered  in  London  under  the  name  of  /a/me,  meaning 
seeds;  they  contain  about  33  per  cent,  of  oil,  ]3*(S  per  cent,  of  starch 
and  1  per  cent,  of  theine. — Ibid.,  p.  637. 
Myroxylon  peruiferumy  Lin.  F. — Mr.  P.  Macewan  has  examined  a 
sample  of  what  he  calls  the  oleo-balsam  of  the  red  oleo,  oleo  vemielho, 
of  Rio  Janeiro,  the  results  differing  in  several  respects  from  those  ob- 
tained by  Th.  Peckolt  (see  Am.  Jour.  Phar.,"  1881,  p.  334).  In 
bulk  the  balsam  was  dark  brown,  and  in  thin  layers  dark  red;  its  odor 
was  smoky  and  feebly  fragrant.  On  tasting  it,  a  persistent  choky  and 
disagreeable  feeling  was  left  in  the  throat.  The  spec.  grav.  was  '915. 
Petroleum  spirit  dissolved  63*7  per  cent.,  leaving  a  light  brown  pul- 
verulent resin  undissolv^ed,  and  on  evaporation  left  an  amber  colored, 
faintly  aromatic  residue,  which  gave  a  red-brown  color  with  nitric 
acid;  Peru  balsam  left  an  insoluble  cohesive  resin  and  the  solution  in 
petroleum  spirit  yielded  a  straw-colored  fragrant  residue,  giving  a  yel- 
low and  pale  violet-color  with  nitric  acid.  The  oleo-balsam  was  com- 
pletely soluble  in  alcohol  and  in  ether,  and  partially  soluble  in  carbon 
bisulphide,  separating  a  flocculent  brown  resin  which  became  adhesive 
to  the  sides  of  the  vessel.  The  most  marked  diiference  between  the 
two  balsams  is  the  behavior  with  sulphuric  acid;  on  the  subsequent 
addition  of  cold  water  to  the  mixture  with  Peru  balsam,  a  beautiful 
violet  color  is  imparted  to  the  surface  of  the  mass,  while  a  gray  color 
is  produced  with  the  oleo-balsam.  The  oleo-balsam  has  not  the  fra- 
grance which  is  perhaps  the  most  valued  property  of  Peru  balsam  
Phar.  Jour,  and  Trans.,  March  21,  1885,  p.  771. 
Caltivation  of  Ginseng.  Consul-general  Aston  has  visited  several 
of  the  numerous  ginseng  gardens  near  Songdo,  Corea.  The  seed  is 
sown  in  March ;  the  seedlings  are  planted  out  in  beds  raised  a  foot 
above  the  level  of  the  surrounding  soil,  bordered  with  upright  slates 
and  covered  in  from  snn  and  rain  by  sheds  of  reeds  3  or  4  feet  high, 
towards  the  north  left  more  or  less  open  according  to  the  weather,  and 
placed  in  rows  with  just  room  enough  to  walk  between  them.  During 
the  first  and  second  year  the  plant  has  only  two  leaves  and  is  frequently 
transplanted,  in  the  fourth  year  the  stem  is  about  6  inches  high  with 
four  horizontal  leaves,  and  in  the  fifth  or  sixth  year  the  plant  has 
reached  maturity.  Mould  containing  plenty  of  rotten  leaves  is  the  only 
manure  used.    The  root  is  either  dried  in  the  sun  or  during  unfavor- 
