AljaSyfih8fsm'}     Recent  Literature  Relating  to  Pharmacy.  47 
in  1895-96.  During  the  same  period,  owing  to  the  recent  destruction 
of  the  orange  trees  in  Florida,  97,925,398  oranges,  valued  at  £i6gr 
794,  were  also  exported.  Some  other  valuable  products,  including 
logwood,  coffee,  ginger,  allspice,  etc.,  are  enumerated.  In  addition, 
the  exports  of  the  following  fruits  and  fruit  products  appear  to  be 
increasing  from  year  to  year  :  Cocoanuts,  grape  fruit,  shaddocks, 
Tangerine  oranges,  limes  and  lime-juice,  pineapples,  kola  nuts  and 
tamarinds.  The  total  value  of  the  fruit  exported  from  Jamaica  at 
the  present  time  amounts  to  £537,601.  The  fruit  exported  from 
Jamaica  as  the  Tangerine  orange  is  for  the  most  part  the  large- 
fruited  Mandarin  orange,  native  of  China.  Both  the  leaves  and  the 
loose  rind  of  this  fruit  possess  a  characteristic  odor  unlike  that  of 
any  other  of  the  orange  tribe.  The  true  Tangerine  orange  is 
smaller  than  the  Mandarin,  with  an  agreeable  but  slightly  perfumed 
flavor. 
BROOM  ROOT. 
An  account  of  broom  root,  or  Mexican  whisk,  obtained  from  one 
or  more  species  of  grasses  belonging  to  the  genus  Epicampes,  was 
given  in  the  Kew  Bulletin  for  December,  1887  (p.  9).  The  roots  in 
the  condition  in  which  they  are  exported  are  known  as  "  Raiz  de 
Zacaton."  During  some  years  very  little  has  been  exported,  but 
latterly  increased  interest  has  been  taken  in  them  as  a  cheap  sub- 
stitute  for  the  well-known  Venetian  whisk,  derived  from  the  roots  of 
Chrysopogon  Gryllus.  The  most  recent  information  respecting 
broom-root  is  contained  in  the  following  "  Report  for  the  year  1895 
on  the  Trade  of  Mexico"  (F.  O.,  1896,  Annual  Series,  No.  1827)  : 
"  From  the  roots  of  a  coarse,  tufty  grass,  known  as  '  Zacaton/ 
which  is  found  growing  wild  all  over  the  highlands  of  Mexico,  a 
fibre  is  extracted  called  <  Raiz  de  Zacaton,'  which  has  found  a  market 
abroad  for  the  manufacture  of  certain  kinds  of  brushes  and  whisks. 
It  is  collected  by  hand,  and  is  subjected  to  very  little  treatment 
before  being  baled,  beyond  being  soaked  in  water  and  bleached  in 
the  sun.  The  principal  market  for  this  fibre  is  Hamburg,  but  the 
United  States  and  France  both  take  a  certain  amount.  It  has  never 
obtained  a  foothold  in  the  English  market.  The  export  in  1895  was 
valued  at  67,599/.  The  price,  according  to  the  New  York  quota- 
tions, ranged  in  the  year  under  question  from  6c.  to  14c.  per  pound, 
according  to  quality." — Kew  Bulletin,  April,  1897. 
