GLEANINGS  FROM  GERMAN  JOURNALS. 
37 
in  the  neighborhood  of  Aken,  on  the  Elbe,  Germany,  and  that  he 
has  found  the  following  method  best  for  the  preparation  of  castor  : 
The  sacs  are  carefully  removed  from  the  recently  killed  beaver, 
and  freed  from  all  adhering  fat ;  the  open  end  is  loosely 
tied,  and  the  sacs  then  subjected  to  moderate  and  gradually  in- 
creased pressure  to  expel  gases.  As  soon  as  the  membranes 
adhere  closely  to  the  contents,  they  are  repeatedly  painted  over 
with  wood  vinegar,  and  the  weights  are  afterwards  removed. 
Any  gas  still  contained  in  the  bag  is  expelled  by  puncturing  the 
place  with  a  pin  ;  the  bags  are  again  pressed  for  24  hours,  the 
punctures  are  closed  by  a  little  collodium,  and  the  whole  left  to 
dry  in  the  open  air,  which  is  accomplished  in  from  one  to  two 
weeks.  The  loss  in  weight  is  about  one-fourth  of  the  original. 
The  complete  expulsion  of  the  gas  is  necessary  to  prevent 
partial  decomposition.  Only  the  full  grown  male  beaver  yields 
a  hard  and  rapidly  drying  castor  ;  that  of  the  female  is  softer, 
more  difficult  to  dry  and  notwithstanding  all  precautions,  re- 
mains soft  in  some  places.-— (Archiv  der  Pharm.  cviL 
306-308.) 
A  red  coloring  matter  from  Sorghum  saccharatum,  called 
Baden  red,  is  prepared,  by  A.  Winter,  by  fermenting  the  cut 
and  expressed  stems,  piled  up  under  a  shed  to  the  height  of 
several  feet,  and  avoiding  too  high  a  heat  by  regulating  the 
draught  of  air.  The  mass  will  have  turned  red  or  reddish- 
brown  in  about  two  weeks,  is  now  dried,  ground  and  macerated 
in  cold  water.  The  expressed  mass  is  then  treated  with  a  weak 
potassa  or  soda  lye,  the  liquor  neutralized  by  sulphuric  acid, 
and  the  red  flocculent  precipitate  collected  upon  a  filter,  washed 
and  dried.  The  coloring  matter  is  readily  soluble  in  alcohol, 
alkalies  and  diluted  acids,  and  is  printed  upon  silk  and  woollen 
fabrics  by  means  of  the  ordinary  tin  mordants  ;  the  colors  thus 
produced  are  not  affected  either  by  sunlight,  or  washing  with 
soap.  It  is  stated  that  the  preparation  of  this  dye  has  been 
long  known  and  extensively  used  in  China. — f  Allg.  Deutsch. 
Telegraph.) 
Tima,  a  new  remedy  for  consumption,  comes  from  Tampico, 
Mexico,  and  is  used  in  the  form  of  syrup,  prepared  by  boiling 
