626 
Belladonna  Cultivation. 
{Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
September,  1920. 
to  become  woody  and  fibrous,  with  a  decrease  in  the  quantity  of 
alkaloid. 
Stockberger  reports  the  results  obtained  from  sixty  growers  of 
belladonna  for  191 7,  as  approximately  600  pounds  of  belladonna 
herb,  and  164  pounds  of  root  per  acre.  Reports  have  been  made  of 
first-year  plants  where  two  cuttings  of  the  plant  yielded  1300  pounds 
of  herb,  dry  weight,  and  where  second-year  cuttings  of  the  herb 
yielded  over  one  ton,  dry  weight. 
In  our  work  we  have  estimated  our  results  upon  the  yield  for  the 
season  per  thousand  plants,  rather  than  by  acreage.  Our  esti- 
mates are  made  on  the  weight  of  the  plants  in  their  green,  or  undried, 
state. 
Herb  Yield  Per  Thousand  Plants  (Green). 
Second-year  plants.  Lbs. 
Herb  ;   1177 
Alkaloid   0.891 
First-year  seedlings  (potted  plants) : 
Herb   527 
Alkaloid   0.313 
First-year  seedlings  (cold-frame  plants) : 
Herb   534 
Alkaloid   0.289 
From  this  showing  the  greatly  increased  yield  of  plants  in  the 
second  year  is  manifest.  It  is  also  shown  that  the  potted  plants 
from  the  greenhouse  give  but  a  slightly  larger  yield.  The  loss  of 
moisture  during  air  drying,  based  upon  the  entire  crop  of  herb, 
averaged  84.07  per  cent. 
Ash  in  Air  Dry  Drug. 
Herb. 
Highest  Lowest 
Per  Cent.  Per  Cent. 
Three  year  old  plants   13 -15  8.62 
Two  year  old  plants   i7  -53  11.68 
First-year  seedlings  (potted)   i4-47  10.10 
First-year  seedlings  (cold-frame)   17-54  12.77 
Roots. 
Three  year  old  plants   8.97 
Two  year  old  plants   15  •  09 
First-year  seedlings  (potted)   7 . 88 
First-year  seedlings  (cold-frame)   8.81 
Whole  Ripe  Berries. 
F'rom  three-year  old  plants   4 -04 
