542  Gleanings  from  the  Foreign  Journals.  {A%J™^7h6?rm' 
by  Ch.  Meniere.  It  appears  that  the  more  or  less  deeply  colored 
honey  from  Bretagne  is  preferred  in  France  for  certain  purposes  j 
being  rather  scarce  this  year,  it  is  manufactured  in  Paris  by  incorporat- 
ing with  honey  a  sufficient  quantity  of  roasted  bread,  particularly  the 
crust,  which  gives  a  yellow  powder.  By  dissolving  the  honey  in 
water  the  added  powder  mav  be  collected  upon  a  filter,  and  by  this 
means  the  author  has  collected  this  novel  adulterant  in  quantities  rang- 
ing from  io  to  20  per  cent,  of  the  weight  of  the  honey. — Rep.  de 
Pbar.y  p.  6 io. 
At  the  International  Exhibition,  just  closed,  there  was  some  artificial 
honey,  which  appeared  to  be  merely  syrupy  glucose  flavored  with  a 
little  honey. 
Preparation  of  Artificial  Wax. — A  French  patent,  obtained  by  Pau- 
vert,  Moussay  and  Chauvin,  gives  the  following  directions  : 
1.  Two  parts  of  colophony  (rosin)  and  one  part  of  paraffin,  or  a 
similar  hydro-carbon  are  fused  together  at  io8°  C. 
2.  Three  parts  of  colophony  are  fused  with  one  part  of  soap  or 
stearic  acid,  and  then  washed  with  potassa  solution.  A  little  copal  or 
vegetable  wax  may  be  added. — Chem.  Centralbl.,  No.  33,  from  Bull. 
Soc.  Chem. 
Preservation  of  Volatile  Oils. — Well  corked  bottles,  particularly  if 
the  cork  is  securely  wrapped  with  thin  gelatin,  is  recommended  by  E. 
Tornbory,  of  Jassy.  As  an  instance  of  the  security  of  the  oils  under 
corks,  it  is  stated  that,  on  digging  a  well  at  Salzwedel,  there  were 
found  behind  a  wall,  which  probably  belonged  to  the  cellar  when  the 
building  was  destroyed  by  fire  200  years  ago,  two  bottles  containing 
oil  of  rosemary  and  of  cloves,  both  being  in  a  good  state  of  preserva- 
tion, although  the  corks  were  rotten  and  the  oil  of  cloves  of  a  brown 
color. — Apotheker  Zeit.,  No.  38. 
Drying  of  Plants  for  the  Herbarium. — As  it  is  well  known,  the  suc- 
culent plants  (orchideae,  pinguicula,  etc.)  give  the  greatest  trouble  in 
drying,  inasmuch  as  they  easily  lose  their  colors  and  become  black, 
through  incipient  decomposition.  It  has  been  recommended  to  draw 
the  plants  slowlv  through  a  warm  solution  of  0*5  grm.  salicylic  acid  in 
300  grms.  alcohol,  shake  well  and  dry  in  the  usual  manner  in  warm 
blotting  paper,  which  has  to  be  changed  at  least  once  a  day. 
Plants  treated  in  this  way  dry  quickly  and  preserve  their  colors 
