586 
Valuation  of  Drugs  and  Foods. 
(Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
X  December,  1899. 
less.1  But  let  us  consider  one  instance,  viz,  seeds  of  castor  oil.  We  all 
know  how  birds  and  other  animals  eat  the  seeds  of  castor  oil  in  the  fall 
when  they  are  discharged  from  the  capsules.  The  taste  at  this  time 
is  only  slightly  different  from  other  oil-containing  seeds.  The 
physiological  effects  of  the  oil  are,  however,  manifest  in  both  lower 
animals  and  man.  The  question  whether  the  oil  in  80  or  90  or 
even  a  higher  per  cent,  of  germinating  seeds  is  bland  and  agreeable 
and  yet  possessed  of  all  the  purgative  properties  of  the  oil  ordi- 
narily sold  would  seem  to  be  worthy  of  investigation.  There  is 
probably  no  other  purgative  of  such  great  value,  and  one  the  tak- 
ing of  which  is  dreaded  so  much  as  this  one,  and  it  would  seem 
that  the  oil  in  the  seeds  capable  of  germination  is  equally  purgative 
but  pleasant  in  taste,  and  that  the  disagreeable  odor  and  taste  are 
rather  due  to  decomposition  products  formed  in  the  seeds  no  longer 
possessing  vitality.  The  writer  may  be  able  to  do  some  work  along 
this  line  this  fall,  but  would  appreciate  very  much  if  others  also 
would  take  up  this  subject. 
A  study  of  some  other  seeds,  such  as  mustard,  might  also  dis- 
close some  interesting  facts,  which  would  not  be  lost  in  that  they 
would  certainly  interest  the  plant  physiologist.  It  was,  however, 
in  the  investigation  of  ergot  that  the  author  was  more  especially 
concerned  and  interested.  It  is  well  known  that  in  the  drug 
ergot  we  have  a  "  sclerotium  "  or  resting  stage  of  a  plant.  From 
this  "  sclerotium  "  there  is  produced  in  the  spring  a  number  ot 
club-shaped  sporocarps,  in  each  of  which  are  developed  asci, 
containing  six  ascospores.  It  is  these  latter  which  attack  the 
flowers  of  the  rye  in  the  summer,  grow  upon  the  nutriment  con- 
tained therein  and  produce  with  the  harvest,  in  place  of  the 
grain,  the  "  sclerotium "  again,  or  what  is  known  as  the  drug 
ergot.  It  has  occurred  to  the  author  that  one  way  of  testing  the 
authenticity  of  the  year's  crop  of  ergot  would  be  to  place  the 
"drug"  under  a  moist  chamber  and  grow  it  like  other  fungi  in 
order  to  develop  the  next  generation.  The  difficulty  is  to  get 
the  ergot  fresh.  I  append  a  few  letters  from  prominent  firms  to 
whom  I  applied  a  year  ago  for  ergot  of  that  year's  crop. 
"  Dear  Sir: — Your  favor  of  November  nth  is  received,  and  we 
regret  very  much  to  reply  that  we  cannot  help  you  out  in  the  way  of 
'It  is  a  customary  practice  to  submit  the  barley  used. in  the  manufacture  of 
beer  to  germinating  tests. 
