394 
Gleanings  in  Materia  Medica. 
f  Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
X       Aug.,  1890. 
lected  from  second,  third  and  fourth  year's  chipping)  is  used,  the 
heat  must  be  increased.  This  distinction  is  due  to  the  latter  being 
more  dense  and  containing  more  resin  than  oil  in  proportion ;  there- 
fore, the  yield  of  oil  is  not  so  great.  During  distillation,  water,  in 
quantities  of  8  to  16  gallons  to  each  barrel  of  crude,  is  gradually 
added  through  a  small  funnel  arranged  in  the  cap.  This  prevents 
the  turpentine  from  scorching,  besides  clarifies  the  resin  and 
improves  its  quality.  When  the  turpentine  is  exhausted  of  oil,  the 
cap  is  removed  and  the  contents  of  the  still  are  agitated  for  a  while  ; 
at  length  the  gate  at  the  bottom  is  opened  and  the  mixture  of  resin 
and  impurities,  such  as  small  chips,  bark,  etc.,  flows  out  upon  sieves 
arranged  in  tiers  over  a  large  trough,  from  which  the  melted  resin 
is  transferred  to  barrels,  made  of  rough  material,  for  when  the  resin 
once  becomes  solid,  it  requires  but  little  stave  support.  The  chips,, 
etc.,  are  removed  from  the  sieves  and  burned. 
The  following  is  a  brief  summary  of  facts,  which  may  be  of 
interest : 
Three  hundred  boxes  yield  I  barrel  crude. 
Five  barrels  crude  yield  I  barrel  oil  (spirits). 
Five  barrels  crude  yield  3  barrels  resin. 
Resin  from  first  year's  yield  is  classed  in  commerce  as  W.  W. 
(water  white)  and  W.  G.  (window  glass).  Resin  from  second  year's 
yield. is  classed  as  N,  M,  K,  etc. 
Oil  (spirit)  barrels  are  made  to  hold  50  gallons.    The  oil  varies 
'in  price  from  30-50  cents  per  gallon.    Resin  barrels  usually  hold 
about  280  lbs.;  it  varies  in  price  from  $1  to  $3  per  barrel. 
GLEANINGS  IN  MATERIA  MEDICA. 
By  John  M.  Maisch. 
Delphinium  Staphisagria. — The  seeds  were  analyzed  by  Chara- 
lampi  Kara-Stojanow  (Inaugural-Dissertation,  Dorpat).  Delphinine 
and  delphisine  have  the  same  composition,  C31H^N07,  crystallize 
from  their  solutions  in  ether  and  petroleum  benzin,  the  form  of 
crystals  being  alike  ;  their  melting  points  are  almost  identical  (191° 
and  1890  C).  They  give  no  color  reactions  and  dissolve  freely  in 
chloroform.  Greater  differences  were  observed  in  their  behavior  to 
water,  alcohol,  ether  and  benzol.  Delphinine  has  an  acrid  and 
benumbing  taste,  while  the  taste  of  delphisine  in  alcoholic  solution 
