'^"'Dec.^ilS^''™'}    Minutes  of  the  Pharmaceutical  Meeting.  637 
It  required  about  15  minutes'  time  and  a  few  cents'  worth  of  glycerin.  I 
charged  only  $1,  but  secured  a  new  customer. 
"  An  Oil  City  man  had  red  earth  in  his  garden,  and  wanted  to  know  what 
it  was,  and  if  it  would  make  paint.  It  cost  him  $10  to  learn  that  most  of 
the  earth-paints  were  composed  of  ferric  oxide  or  carbonate,  such  as  his 
proved  to  be. 
"  Chemistry  also  pays  in  the  store.  A  horse  doctor  here  used  considerable 
of  a  certain  "spavin  cure."  I  took  a  day  to  examine  it,  and  now  make  it 
for  him  at  a  profit  of  $1.20  a  pint,  instead  of  30  cents,  as  before.  I  also  ex- 
amined a  popular  catarrh  cure  that  has  given  good  satisfaction,  and  now 
make  one  that  proves  just  as  good.  I  will  note  here  that  in  the  examination 
of  the  two  last  articles,  and  similar  preparations,  the  knowledge  gained  in 
plant  analysis  is  of  inestimable  value.  It  suggests  methods  of  separation 
and  identity,  and  is  well  worth  the  time  and  stud}^  bestowed  on  it. 
"Recently,  after  standardizing  some  spirit  of  nitrous  ether  byAllen's  method, 
I  examined  five  samples  from  diff'erent  retail  stores.  Two  of  them  contained 
less  than  four-tenths  of  one  per  cent.  (0  4  per  cent.)  of  ethyl  nitrite,  one  con- 
tained 1'2  per  cent.,  one  2  per  cent,  and  the  best  one  3'6  per  cent,  ethyl 
nitrite.  In  closing  I  will  urge  all  who  can,  to  get  as  much  laboratory  ex- 
perience as  possible,  and  they  will  never  regret  it.  Aside  from  chemical 
analysis  as  a  source  of  revenue,  the  ability  to  do  such  work  secures  the  con- 
fidence of  physicians  in  your  capacity  as  a  pharmacist,  and  elevates  you 
above  your  competitors  in  the  estimation  of  the  public,  making  your  micro- 
scope and  analytical  balance  a  better  advertisement  for  your  business  than 
any  other  method  known.  Yours,  etc. 
A.  L.  Beck,  Ph.  G. 
Sharon,  Mercer  County,  Pa.,  November  16,  1888. 
Mr.  G.  M.  Beringer  on  behalf  of  Mr.  Bullock,  presented  a  piece  of  the 
tree  which  furnishes  the  Canada  balsam  {Abies  balsamea,  Miller) ;  this  speci- 
men exhibited  very  plainly  the  vesicles  which  contain  the  balsam. 
Dr.  Lowe  stated  that  he  had  learned  that  grocers  were  selling  essence  of 
ginger  put  in  two-and-a-half-ounce  bottles  for  twelve  cents,  and  that  a  lady 
made  use  of  two  bottles  without  the  slightest  relief. 
A  paper  upon  Commercial  Bicarbonate  of  Sodium  by  Mr.  H.  J.  M.  Schroeter, 
was  read.  Prof.  Maisch  inquired  if  American  brands  were  free  from  alumina, 
as  formerly  some  did  contain  it.  Mr.  Schroeter  said  that  it  was  examined 
and  found  to  be  free  from  that  and  all  other  metallic  impurities. 
Prof.  Trimble  read  a  paper  upon  S/iephrdia  argentea,  or  Baff'alo  berry, 
which  is  used  as  a  food  supply  by  the  Indians.  In  reply  to  an  inquiry  it 
was  stated  that  the  shrub  could  be  grown,  probably  without  difliculty,  east  of 
the  AUeghenies.  Mr.  Beringer  said  the  readhig  of  the  paper  reminded  him 
of  the  puff-ball  (Lycopordon  solidum),  or  tuckahoe,  winch  contains  a  large 
amount  of  pectin.  Prof.  Maisch  said  that  in  times  of  food  scarcity  it  had 
been  used  as  food,  but  it  would  not  be  very  palatable. 
Prof.  Maisch  read  a  paper  from  Mr.  Greenawalt  upon  the  use  of  the  blue 
flower  of  Iris  versicolor  as  a  test  for  acids  and  alkalies.  He  also  gave  some 
results  of  the  investigations  thus  far  made  upon  ihe  blue  and  red  colors  of 
