576  Fluid  Extract  of  Triticum  Repens.  {AmB™.%T'm~ 
plungers,  if  necessary  nickel  plated,  have  a  projecting  shoulder  on 
the  lower  part  and  may  be  of  any  size  or  shape,  and  hopper  and 
mould  are  stationary.  There  being  absolutely  no  waste,  a  saving  of 
material  results,  and  the  absence  of  friction  from  feed  makes  the 
machine  run  easy. 
Ample  provision  is  made  for  taking  up  lost  motion  from  wear  of 
moving  parts.  The  dies  and  moulds  can  be  easily  changed  from 
one  size  to  another,  and  the  regulations  being  few  and  simple,  they 
are  readily  understood  and  easily  manipulated.  The  working  parts 
being  inclosed,  accumulation  of  dust  is  prevented,  wearing  of  the 
parts  is  lessened  and  foreign  matters  are  not  rubbed  into  the  mould 
for  compression  ;  hence,  the  tablets  are  kept  clean  and  unobjection- 
able for  hypodermic  medication. 
Tablets  are  formed  by  the  following  motions  :  When  the  plungers 
are  below  the  hopper,  they  receive  the  proper  amount  of  material, 
which  is  conveyed  under  cover  into  the  mould  ;  one  plunger  is  held 
stationary,  while  the  other  advances  and  compresses  the  material 
into  the  shape  desired ;  then  both  dies  recede,  thus  loosening  the 
tablet  in  the  mould  and  bringing  it  to  the  end  of  the  mould,  where 
it  is  ejected  by  the  wiper. 
Tacony,  Philadelphia,  November,  1891. 
NOTE  ON  FLUID  EXTRACT  OF  TRITICUM  REPENS. 
By  Joseph  W.  England,  Ph.G. 
Read  at  the  Pharmaceutical  Meeting  of  the  Philadelphia  College  of  Pharmacy,  Nov.  17. 
Some  time  ago  my  attention  was  attracted  towards  the  variability 
in  properties  of  commercial  fluid  extracts  of  couch  grass.  The 
differences  were  so  marked  that  an  examination  was  made  of  a 
number.  In  the  six  samples  examined,  four  different  shades  of  the 
normal  ruby  red  color  were  presented.  The  odor  and  taste  was  the 
same  in  all  cases  save  one  (No.  2),  which  gave  evidence  of  contain- 
ing considerable  caramel.  The  specific  gravities  ranged  from  1-069 
as  the  lowest,  to  1-154  as  the  highest.  Assuming  that  the  men- 
struum used  in  their  making  was  the  officinal  one,  of  one  part  alcohol 
and  four  parts  of  water ;  the  relative  value  of  the  fluid  extracts  in. 
the  amount  of  solids  dissolved,  ranged  from  92-6  to  100 ;  the  latter 
figure  representing  the  highest  specific  gravity. 
