jAm.  Jour.  Pharm.  ) 
Sept.  1,1873,  j 
Cultivation  of  Lactucarium,  etc. 
411 
lettuce  as  his  source  of  lactucarium,  and  his  process  of  preparation 
was  as  follows :  When  the  plant  reached  the  flowering  period,  a  por- 
tion of  the  stalk  was  cut  off,  and  the  milky  juice  which  exuded  was 
permitted  to  harden  in  the  sun.  On  the  following  day  this  hardened 
juice  was  secured  by  cutting  a  thin  slice  off  the  stalk,  and  to  this 
fresh  wound  a  further  quantity  of  juice  flowed  and  again  hardened, 
and  so  the  process  continued  from  day  to  day  till  the  plant  was  ex- 
hausted. The  thin  slices  which  bore  the  thickened  juice  were  digest- 
ed in  spirit  of  wine  till  a  solution  of  a  certain  degree  of  concentration 
was  obtained,  which  was  then  evaporated  to  a  thick  extract. 
Among  later  local  cultivators  were  the  late  Dr.  Young  of  Canon- 
mills,  and  Mr.  John  Duncan,  of  Duncan,  Flockhart  &  Co.,  who  used 
the  wild  lettuce,  Lactuea  virosa,  as  the  source  from  which  they  drew 
lactucarium.  This  plant  is  still  found  sparingly  on  Arthur's  Seat, 
near  Dudingston,  and  is  abundant  on  the  rocks  of  Stirling  castle  and 
elsewhere. 
For  the  last  sixteen  years  I  have  had  from  one  to  two  acres  under 
cultivation  for  the  preparation  of  lactucarium.  The  plant  employed 
is  Lactuea  virosa,  var.  montana,  the  seeds  being  sown  in  autumn,  and 
the  young  plants  planted  out  early  in  the  following  spring.  The 
plant,  under  favorable  circumstances,  grows  to  a  height  of  from  10 
to  12  feet,  with  a  stalk  of  from  1  to  1 J  inch  in  diameter.  The  flowers 
appear  about  the  end  of  July  and  continue  throughout  August.  The 
capitulum  only  expands  during  sunshine,  and  as  when  in  fruit  the 
least  breath  of  air  wafts  away  the  pappose  achenes,  the  collection  of 
seed  is  a  matter  of  constant  anxiety  and  attention.  In  one  wet  and 
sunless  autumn  I  was  unable  to  secure  a  single  seed,  none  having 
ripened. 
In  favorable  seasons  the  collection  of  the  juice  may  commence 
about  the  middle  of  July,  but  it  more  commonly  is  the  beginning  of 
August  before  anything  is  done.  The  plants  are  then  from  3  to  5 
feet  high,  with  thick  succulent  stalks,  and  the  flower-buds  just  appear- 
ing. The  collectors  proceed  over  the  field,  cutting  the  head  of  each 
stalk,  and  scraping  the  flow  of  juice  into  their  vessels — one  person 
cutting  being  followed  by  two  collecting  the  juice.  This  process  they 
repeat  six  or  seven  times  a  day,  each  time  a  new  cut  being  made  a 
little  lower  down  the  stalk.  The  period  of  collection  generally  lasts 
from  six  weeks  to  two  months,  closing  usually  about  the  third  week 
in  September  ;  but  for  the  last  two  years  I  collected  up  to  the  end  of 
