504 
CULTURE  OF  THE  ELATERIUM  PLANT. 
ON  THE  CULTURE  OF  THE  ELATERIUM  PLANT. 
By  Robert  P.  Thomas,  M.  D. 
(From  the  Proceedings  of  the  American  Pharmaceutical  Association.) 
Can  Elaterium  be  produced  in  the  United  States  ?  and  if  so; 
is  the  indigenous  product  equal  in  power  to  the  English  drug  ? 
A  satisfactory  determination  of  this  question  can  only  be 
made  by  a  person  having  convenient  access  to  a  rural  district, 
and  sufficient  leisure  to  watch  the  ripening  of  the  fruits,  and  to 
collect  them  at  the  proper  moment.  Having  been  unable  to 
give  personal  attention  to  the  growth  of  the  plants,  the  writer 
made  an  arrangement  with  a  relative  in  Grermantown  to  under- 
take their  culture,  and  procured  an  ounce  of  the  seeds  from 
England  for  the  experiment.  Small  as  this  quantity  seems,  it 
would  probably  have  answered  the  purpose  had  we  been  pos- 
sessed of  sufficient  practical  knowledge  of  the  proper  time  for 
planting. 
In  August,  1850,  I  plucked  a  single  fruit  from  a  vigorous 
plant  in  Dr.  Wood's  garden,  and  kept  its  seeds  until  the  follow- 
ing May,  when  they  were  planted  in  garden  soil  in  a  warm 
situation.  Vigorous  plants  sprang  from  these  seeds,  and  fur- 
nished well-matured  fruits  in  the  latter  part  of  August  and  the 
early  part  of  September.  Most  of  the  fruits  were  collected  for 
class  exhibition.  A  few,  however,  dropped  on  the  ground,  and 
in  the  following  year  a  larger  crop  appeared  spontaneously, — 
thus  showing  that  the  seeds  will  survive  our  winter  months. 
Misled  by  this  observation  as  to  the  hardiness  of  the  seeds,  I , 
made  the  mistake  of  having  those  from  England  planted  on 
the  25th  of  April,  last  year.  This  period  proved  premature, 
as  not  a  single  plant  appeared.  Gold,  wet  weather  followed, 
and  the  seeds  rotted  in  the  ground.  A  few,  that  had  been  left, 
were  planted  on  the  first  of  June.  These  produced  plants,  more 
or  less  vigorous,  according  to  position  and  exposure.  For  in- 
stance, those  upon  high  ground,  and  in  situations  exposed  to 
the  sun,  were  strong  and  vigorous ;  while  others,  upon  a  shady 
hill-side,  were  dwarfed  and  stunted.  The  fruits  of  the  former 
were  large  and  perfect,  while  the  latter  remained  small  and 
