Am.  Jour.  Pharm.  X 
January,  19 19. 
Stramonium. 
1 1 
interest  of  the  individuals  in  each  other,  and  cooperation  in  asso- 
ciated work.  Chemists  and  medical  men  have  determined  that  their 
associations  will  grow  and  that  their  professions  will  make  forward 
strides ;  let  us  hope  that  pharmacists  have  the  same  intentions. 
In  the  Journal  of  the  American  Pharmaceutical  Association  for 
December,  1918,  I  have  expressed  this  wish : 
That  pharmacy  may  progress  during  1919  through  a  greater 
enthusiasm  and  better  cooperation  among  the  members  of  the  As- 
sociation; a  willingness  to  make  some  personal  sacrifices  so  that 
pharmacy  and  the  Association  may  become  more  affective  as  an 
agency  for  good  to  the  votaries,  and  of  greater  service  to  humanity. 
That  there  may  come  the  realization  that  however  much  pharmasists 
may  have  done  for  pharmacy  and  the  Association,  they,  themselves, 
have  profited  more,  by  giving.  That  pharmacists  and  druggists  may 
develop  a  larger  measure  of  professional  and  business  efficiency, 
upon  which  the  world  is  now  putting  so  large  a  premium.  That 
the  year  1919  will  be  the  biggest  year  in  the  world's  history  for 
pharmacy  and  the  drug  business,  because  the  achievements,  suc- 
cesses and  progress  of  the  past  are  added  to  its  opportunities. 
THE  INFLUENCE  OF  THE  PRESENCE  OF  STEMS  AND 
ROOTS  UPON  THE  TOTAL  ALKALOID  CONTENT 
OF  THE  LEAVES  OF  STRAMONIUM. 
By  George  P.  Koch,  Ph.D. 
Can  the  stems  of  stramonium  be  used  with  the  leaves  for  com- 
mercial purposes?  In 'dealing  with  stramonium,  this  question  is  of 
no  small  importance  at  the  present  time.  The  relative  importance 
attached  to  the  possibilities  of  the  use  of  stramonium  stems  is  not 
due  to  the  scarcity  of  the  leaves  of  stramonium,  but  to  the  cost 
of  labor  in  harvesting.  The  question  easily  resolves  itself  into  the 
fact,  that  if  the  stems  could  be  utilized  the  cost  of  labor  in  harvesting 
a  crop  of  stramonium  would  be  about  one  fourth  to  one  fifth  of  the 
cost  in  harvesting  where  the  leaves  alone  are  considered,  since  per- 
fected machinery  could  readily  be  employed. 
This  factor  of  the  utilization  of  stems  in  conjunction  with  the 
leaves  in  the  case  of  belladonna  and  hyoscyamus  will  also  be  con- 
sidered in  later  publications. 
