44 
Current  Literature. 
f  Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
\    January,  1915. 
Among  the  inquiries  regarding  drug  plants  addressed  to  the 
department  have  been  requests  regarding  plants  which  cannot  be  pro- 
duced in  this  country  at  all.  Others  that  might  be  grown  here  are 
also  produced  in  South  America  and  other  localities  not  involved 
in  the  war,  where  they  can  still  be  produced  more  cheaply  than  here. 
There  are,  nevertheless,  certain  drug  plants  now  produced  chiefly 
in  Europe  which  under  suitable  conditions  may  be  grown  in  parts 
of  the  United  States.   Among  these  are  the  following: 
Althaea,  Anise,  Belladonna,  Burdock,  Calamus,  Caraway,  Conium, 
Coriander,  Dandelion,  Digitalis,  Elecampane,  Fennel,  Henbane,  Hore- 
hound,  Marjoram,  Sage,  Thyme,  and  Valerian. 
Seeds  of  many  of  these  plants  may  be  obtained  from  the  large 
seed  houses.  Even  the  above-mentioned,  however,  need  peculiar 
conditions  in  order  to  thrive,  for  drug  plants  vary  widely  in  their  rela- 
tions to  soil  and  climate.  Satisfactory  yields  can  be  expected  only 
when  the  requirements  of  these  plants  are  understood  and  met. 
Of  course,  well-established  companies,  already  engaged  in  similar 
work,  and  with  gardeners  possessing  training  and  experience,  could 
undoubtedly  meet  with  more  success  in  growing  drug  plants  than  the 
inexperienced  individual.  These  companies  would  understand  at 
the  beginning  many  essential  details  regarding  soil,  climate,  and 
desirable  varieties.  They  would,  however,  have  to  prepare  for  unex- 
pected changes  in  market  values,  and  remember  that  the  principal 
reason  certain  plants  have  not  been  previously  raised  here  is  that 
under  normal  conditions  they  can  be  more  cheaply  grown  in  Europe. 
Good  Soil  for  Colox  Bacilli. 
Charles  Leon  Cowles,  a  student  in  the  Department  of  Biology 
and  Public  Health  at  the  Massachusetts  Institute  of  Technology, 
has  been  investigating  means  for  detecting  the  presence  of  Bacillus 
coli  in  water.  The  position  with  regard  to  the  identification  of  the 
bacilli  is  that  they  all  look  much  alike,  and,  to  tell  the  difference  be- 
tween them,  it  is  necessary  to  apply  some  other  tests.  Stains,  resist- 
ance to  acids,  and  the  ability  to  produce  gas  are  among  the  methods 
of  determining  the  species.  Another  way  is  to  find  foods  or  soils 
in  which  some  particular  species  will  grow.  Of  this  kind  of  test, 
the  mixing  of  lactose  bile,  obtained  generally  from  the  organs  of 
oxen,  has  been  a  means  of  distinguishing  between  the  B.  coli  and 
others,  the  medium  being  favorable  to  the  growth  of  this  particular 
bacillus. 
