Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
Aug.,  1886. 
Examination  of  Spruce- Gum. 
395 
and  viscid,  but  upon  exposure  becomes  opaque  and  hardened,  gradu- 
ally assuming  various  shapes,  and  becoming  of  a  darker  color 
from  year  to  year.  It  has  been  found  that  those  trees  situated 
on  low  or  level  lands  yield  little  or  no  gum.  The  trees  yielding  the 
largest  amount  are  located  on  the  mountains,  more  especially  the  tops 
and  sunny  sides,  and  those  woods  which  have  been  thinned  out  by 
logging  or  otherwise.  The  gum  is  collected  in  winter  time  by  men  on 
snow-shoes,  when  there  are  several  feet  of  snow  on  the  ground,  as  they 
are  thus  capable  of  traveling  much  faster.  They  are  provided  with  a 
little  contrivance  made  by  taking  a  small  tin  cup,  to  which  is  fastened 
a  chisel  in  such  a  way  that  the  gum  may  be  cut  off  and  allowed  to  fall 
into  the  cup;  the  latter  is  so  arranged  with  a  holder  that  a  long  pole 
may  be  inserted,  thus  enabling  them  to  reach  the  pieces  on  the  upper 
parts  of  the  tree.  They  collect  as  much  as  can  conveniently  be 
carried,  taking  it  to  their  houses,  where  it  is  cleaned  by  the  women 
and  children.  Each  piece  has  to  be  scraped  separately,  after  which 
operation  it  is  sorted  and  brought  into  the  market. 
The  gum1  at  my  disposal  was  obtained  from  a  dealer  in  Vermont, 
who  states  that  it  is  collected  in  Maine,  New  Hampshire,  Vermont 
and  Canada,  the  largest  amount  and  that  of  the  best  quality  coming 
from  the  latter  point.  It  occurs  in  irregular  pieces  of  various  shapes 
and  sizes,  is  of  a  reddish-brown  color,  brittle,  and  breaks  with  a  rough 
fracture;  it  has  a  faint  odor,  and,  when  chewed,  a  terebinthinous  and 
slightly  bitter  taste.  It  is  readily  soluble  in  alcohol,  and  the  solution 
has  an  acid  reaction.  Among  the  fragments  of  gum,  pieces  were 
observed  which  gave  two  distinct  color  reactions  with  strong  sulphuric 
acid,  the  one  giving  a  pinkish-purple,  the  other  a  deep  green  colora- 
tion. Selected  pieces  of  the  gum  when  freshly  broken  exhibit  a  white 
surface,  which,  upon  exposure  to  the  air,  soon  acquires  a  pink  hue, 
thus  reminding  of  the  similar  change  observable  in  asafoetida. 
Portions  of  the  gum  were  submitted  to  distillation  with  and  with- 
out water.  By  the  latter  method  a  larger  amount  of  volatile  oil  was 
obtained,  although,  owing  to  the  frothing  of  the  heated  mass,  the 
entire  amount  of  volatile  oil  present  could  not  be  separated,  but  the 
percentage  appeared  to  be  relatively  small. 
The  volatile  oil  was  dried  by  contact  with  calcium  chloride,  and 
then  re-distilled.    It  forms  a  limpid,  colorless  liquid,  having  a  char- 
1  The  word  gum  is  used  here  in  its  popular  sense,  although  obviously  incor- 
rect from  a  scientific  standpoint. — F.  B.  P. 
