Am.  Jour.  Pliarm. 
Nov.,  1891. 
Ginger  and  its  Oleoresin. 
531 
where  it  is  principally  grown  at  Sierra  Leone.  About  half  that  pro- 
duced comes  to  England,  and  the  other  half  goes  to  America. 
The  value  of  that  exported  in  1868  was  £18,917,  and  in  1869, 
£14,008. 
Lastly,  young  ginger  is  candied  and  preserved  to  a  considerable 
extent  in  the  East,  and  conies  into  commerce  under  the  section  of 
"  succades."  The  quantity  imported  into  England  from  India  and 
China  ranges  from  300,000  to  600,000  lbs.,  of  the  value  of  £11,000 
to  £25,000.  The  mode  of  preserving  it  is  to  steep  the  rhizomes  in 
vats  of  water  for  several  days,  changing  the  water  once.  When 
taken  out  it  is  spread  on  tables  and  well  pricked  or  pierced  with 
bodkins.  The  rhizomes  are  then  boiled  in  a  copper  caldron,  then 
steeped  for  two  days  and  nights  in  a  vat  with  a  mixture  of  water 
and  rice  flour.  After  this  they  are  washed  with  a  solution  of  lime, 
then  boiled  with  an  equal  weight  of  sugar,  and  a  little  white  of  egg 
is  added  to  clarify. 
After  the  ginger  has  been  boiled  a  second  time  it  is  put  in  glazed 
jars  of  pottery,  holding  1  pound,  3  pounds  or  6  pounds,  and  cov- 
ered with  syrup.  The  syrup  is  changed  two  or  three  times,  and 
then  they  are  shipped  in  cases  holding  six  jars.  The  quality 
called  "  Mandarin  "  is  put  up  in  barrels. 
The  syrup  must  not  be  applied  hot  in  the  first  instance  or  the 
ginger  will  shrink  and  shrivel.  In  India  the  weak  syrups  after 
being  poured  off  are  not  used  again,  but  are  fermented,  and  make 
a  pleasant  drink.  The  process  of  candying  is  simply  that  of  drying 
the  ginger  preserved  as  above,  a  little  dry  powdered  sugar  being 
used  to  aid  the  drying. 
The  ginger  that  comes  in  from  China  dry-coated  with  sugar,  is 
sent  out  in  small  squares  of  zinc. 
GINGER  AND  ITS  OLEORESIN.  . 
By  Samuel  Jacob  Riegel,  Ph.D. 
From  an  inaugural  essay  presented  to  the  Philadelphia  College  of  Pharmacy. 
This  subject  was  chosen  for  investigation  with  the  view  of  ascer- 
taining whether  some  other  solvent  than  ether  would  satisfactorily 
extract  the  properties,  and  could  be  used  in  preparing  the  official 
oleoresin,  and  to  determine  the  quantity  obtainable  from  different 
varieties. 
First. — 1,000  grs.  of  unbleached  Jamaica  ginger  were  reduced  to 
