Am.  Jour.  Phakm.  ) 
Feb.  1, 1871.  j" 
Indigenous  Drugs. 
75 
upon  the  same  firm  when  they  cannot  obtain  bargains  nearer  home. 
When  first  making  inquiries  regarding  the  collection  of  indigenous 
drugs,  I  met  with  the  invariable  response,  '^Inquire  in  New  York.'' 
Regarding  the  method  of  collecting  and  preparing  the  drugs  for 
market,  I  can  give  you  but  little  direct  information.  I  have  before 
me  a  circular  addressed  to  drug-gatherers  by  one  of  our  principal 
Western  dealers  in  indigenous  drugs,  from  which  I  extract  the  fol- 
lowing : 
'  "  Most  medicinal  roots  are  perennial  (that  is,  the  roots  continue 
more  than  two  years,  whether  the  leaves  continue  or  not),  and  should 
be  gathered  any  time  between  maturity  or  decay  of  the  leaves  or 
flowers,  in  the  summer  or  fall,  and  the  vegetating  of  the  succeeding 
spring.  Biennial  roots,  or  those  that  live  but  two  years  (like  burdock 
and  yellow  dock),  should  be  collected  of  the  growth  of  one  year — ■ 
any  time  between  September  and  the  time  they  commence  running 
up  to  seed  in  the  following  spring. 
"Barks  should  be  gathered  as  soon  after  they  will  peel  in  the  spring 
as  possible,  and  all  the  moss  carefully  removed.  It  is  usually  best  to 
fell  the  tree  and  remove  the  moss  while  the  bark  is  on  the  tree. 
"Leaves  and  herbs  should  be  collected  just  before  they  mature, 
and  before  they  begin  to  fade  ;  the  stems  and  stalks  rejected,  as  when 
dry  they  are  a  hard  woody  substance,  nearly  inert. 
"  Flowers  when  they  first  open  ;  and 
"  Seeds  just  before  they  are  quite  ripe,  as  they,  like  leaves  and 
flowers,  ripen  after  being  gathered.  . 
"  Roots  should  be  thoroughly  cleansed  from  dirt  and  foreign  sub- 
stances, and  if  large,  like  Indian  turnip,  &c.,  sliced. 
"  All  the  above  articles  should  be  dried  ;  the  sooner  the  better. 
For  the  first  few  days  it  is  best  to  expose  them  to  the  sun  and  air, 
avoiding  any  dew  or  dampness ;  then  spread  around  on  floor  and 
shelves,  watching  them  to  see  that  they  do  not  heat  by  being  piled  too 
thick,  till  nearly  dry.  Most  roots  require  from  three  to  six  weeks  to 
dry  sufiiciently  to  be  safe. 
"  For  shipping,  it  is  best  to  pack  them  hard  in  coff'ee- sacks  or  large 
gunnies  and  burlaps  ;  the  next  best  is  good  flour  barrels." 
These  circulars  appear  to  be  distributed  with  great  circumspection 
among  herb-gatherers  and  country  stores  throughout  the  Southern 
and  Western  States,  and  in  all  probability  serve  as  a  guide  to  the 
gatherers.    The  few  gatherers  with  whom  I  have  been  able  to  converse 
