Am.  Jour.  Pharm.  ) 
Dec,  1876.  J 
Lycoperdon  Solidum. 
557 
solution  was  then  divided  into  two  parts,  continuing  the  evaporation  of 
the  one  to  dryness  at  ioo°C,  weighing  the  residue  as  soon  as  it 
ceased  to  lose  moisture,  incinerating,  and  weighing  the  ash  left  ;  while 
the  other  was  separately  evaporated  to  dryness,  exhausted  with  dilute 
alcohol  (which  took  up  a  little  glucose),  and  the  residue  dried  at  ioo°C. 
and  weighed  ;  this  being  burned  and  the  weight  of  ash  plus  the  pre- 
viously determined  weight  of  albuminoid  matter  deducted,  the  quantity 
of  gum  was  found  by  difference.  In  the  dilute  alcoholic  solution 
glucose  was  determined  by  Fehling's  copper  solution.  The  pectous 
material  was  dissolved  out  from  what  water  had  left  by  repeated  boiling 
with  a  dilute  (1  \  per  cent.)  solution  of  sodium  hydrate,  and  precipitated 
by  dilute  sulphuric  acid  and  alcohol,  but  it  was  found  to  be  almost 
impossible  to  wash  the  slimy  precipitate,  and  it  could  not  have  been 
relied  upon  as  unaltered  in  weight  from  the  original  insoluble  pectous 
material,  so  that  this  was  estimated  by  difference.  The  cellulose  left 
undissolved  by  the  sodium  hydrate  was  treated  with  very  dilute  sul- 
phuric acid  (in  the  cold  and  for  a  short  time  only),  then  thoroughly 
washed  with  water,  thrown  on  a  weighed  filter,  dried  at  ioo°C  and 
weighed  j  after  burning  the  weight  of  the  ash  was  deducted.  The 
results  were  : 
Glucose  .... 
Gum  (with  a  trace  of  acid)  . 
Albuminoid  matter  . 
Pectose  .... 
Cellulose  .... 
Mineral  matter,  sol.  in  water 
"  insol.  in  water 
Water  . 
0-87 
2-  98 
078 
77  27 
376 
008 
3-  56 
1070 
Org.  matter — 
Sol.  in  water 
Org.  matter — 
Insol.  in  water 
Ash-  . 
Water 
4'6s 
81-03 
3*64 
107a 
These  figures,  especially  if  taken  in  connection  with  Mr.  R.  T. 
Brown's  results,  are  strongly  suggestive  of  the  correctness  of  the 
opinion  of  Messrs.  Hanbury  and  Currey  as  to  the  general  nature  of 
the  substance,  viz.  :  that  it  represents  woody  fibre  altered  by  the  inter- 
penetration  of  a  fungus  mycelium.  In  the  specimen  analyzed  by  the 
Chemist  of  the  Agricultural  Department  the  alteration  seems  to  have 
been  incomplete,  leaving  a  good  deal  of  unchanged  cellulose  ;  in  the 
case  now  under  notice  the  cellulose  has  nearly  disappeared.  The  very 
small  amount  of  nitrogen  renders  the  notion  of  the  whole  mass  being 
simply  an  independent  and  developed  fungus  very  unlikely. 
