^ugu^r^1"'}      Cultivation  of  Medicinal  Plants.  351 
in  general  to  be  more  active  than  those  dried  in  the  ordinary  manner, 
and  there  are  recorded  results  showing  a  different  action  from  speci- 
mens prepared  by  different  methods. 
Plants  in  life  contain  soluble  ferments,  and  during  the  ordinary 
process  of  drying  these  ferments  exert  an  oxidizing  and  hydrolyzing 
action  upon  the  constituents ;  they  change  in  color,  odor,  taste  and 
appearance,  and  it  has  been  hinted  that  the  action  of  these  ferments 
resulted  in  the  loss  of  a  large  proportion  of  the  active  principles. 
The  problems  quite  tersely  set  forth  by  the  Department  of  Agri- 
culture, and  others,  as  arising  in  connection  with  the  medicinal  plant 
cultivation  are  as  follows  : 
Some  of  the  lines  of  study  and  investigation  which  need  to  be 
emphasized  are  those  surrounding  the  adaptation  and  acclimatization 
of  medicinal  plants ; 
The  conditions  under  which  the  active  principles  of  the  plants 
are  formed ; 
The  behavior  of  the  plant  itself  under  varying  conditions  of 
climate  and  culture. 
One  authority,  Dr.  F.  A.  Miller,  gives  the  following  specific 
enumeration  of  the  problem : 
What  species  are  best  ? 
What  type  of  soil  is  the  most  suitable  for  the  individual  plant? 
What  fertilizer,  if  any,  should  be  used? 
How  much  cultivation  and  irrigation  is  necessary? 
Which  are  the  best  months  for  harvesting,  curing  and  packing? 
Particularly  desirable  is  a  practical  basis  and  correlation  of  the 
study  of  varieties  of  the  plant  constituents,  due  in  part  to  the  differ- 
ence in  geographical  locations. 
Finally,  the  statement  is  made  that  the  selection  and  breeding 
of  medicinal  plants  not  only  promises  to  merit  a  reward  of  great 
practical  and  economical  importance,  but  also  affords  a  field  for  the 
widest  scientific  activity. 
As  a  tangible  suggestion  towards  this  end,  I  offer  the  following : 
Manufacturers  of  the  class  represented  in  this  association  may 
turn  over  to  their  laboratory  staff  the  work  of  investigation  of  one 
or  more  plants. 
Several  manufacturers,  notably  Eli  Lilly  &  Co.,  the  H.  K.  Mulford 
Company,  and  Johnson  &  Johnson,  have  in  a  way  independently  con- 
tributed much  towards  this  end. 
Manufacturers  can  encourage  the  work  by  the  establishment  of 
