Am.  Jour,  Pharm,  ") 
Feb.  1, 1871.  j 
Remarhs  07i  Ricinin. 
71 
Agriculture  sent  out  circulars  to  known  apiarians  in  most  of  the  states, 
and  received  returns  from  489  counties  in  32  states.  The  aggregate 
number  of  hives  reported  was  722,385."  "  Estimating  for  counties 
not  reporting,  and  making  due  allowance  for  the  fact  that  many  of 
the  counties  reporting  were  giving  special  attention  to  bee  culture, 
2,000,000  of  hives  were  deemed  as  low  a  figure  as  the  returns  would 
warrant.  Allowing  fifteen  pounds  of  surplus  honey  to  the  hive 
(about  two-thirds  of  the  average  reported),  the  total  product  in  1868 
would  be  30,000,*000  pounds,  which  at  an  average  valuation  of  22J 
cents  per  pound,  would  give  $6,750,000."  "  In  1868  the  quantity 
of  honey  imported  was  212,176  gallons;  value,  $117,172;  of  which 
90,452  gallons,  value  $50,569,  were  re-exported.  A  very  small 
quantity  of  domestic  honey  was  exported  the  same  year.  These 
figures  show  conclusively  that  an  immense  trade  in  honey  has  been 
built  up  in  this  country  and  is  constantly  increasing,  which  will  event- 
ually supersede  all  necessity  of  the  importation  of  any  from  the  West 
Indies."  A  small  township  in  Minnesota  reports  262  hives  ;  from 
these  hives  2826  pounds  of  surplus  honey  was  taken  in  the  season 
of  1869."  When  we  consider  that  the  cost  of  production  is  merely 
nominal,  it  will  be  seen  that  it  pays  to  keep  bees. 
The  writer  respectfully  acknowledges  his  indebtedness  to  the  Com- 
mission of  Agriculture,  for  the  statistical  information. — Proc.  Amer. 
Pharm.  Assoc. ^  1870. 
REMARKS  ON  RICININ. 
By   Richard   Y.   Tuson,  F.C.S., 
Professor  of  Chemistry  in  the  Royal  Veterinary  College. 
Among  the  "  Chemical  Notices  from  Foreign  Sources"  which  ap- 
peared in  the  Chemical  Netvs  of  the  21st  of  October  last,  will  be 
found  an  extract  from  an  article  entitled  On  Ricinine  and  the  Act- 
ive Principles  of  Ricinus  Seeds,"  published  in  the  Pharmaceutische 
Zeitschrift  fur  Eussland,  No.  1,  1870.  This  extract  contained  the 
following  statement: — "As  regards  the  ricinine  of  Dr.  Tuson,  pre- 
pared by  the  author  (Dr.  E.  Werner)  in  large  quantity,  and  according 
to  Dr.  Tuson's  directions,  it  is  stated  that  ricinine  is  not  an  alkaloid, 
and,  moreover,  a  substance  which  contains  a  considerable  quantity  of 
ash  ;  and  the  author,  after  carefully  made  analyses,  comes  to  the  con- 
