474 
VARIETIES. 
The  Preservation  of  Lemons. — Sir:  I  have  for  some  time  adopted  a  plan 
of  securing  fresh  lemon-juice  at  all  seasons  of  the  year,  by  the  very  simple 
process  of  varnishing  lemons  with  a  solution  of  shellac  in  spirits  of  wine. 
As  an  experiment,  I  kept  a  lemon  many  months  in  this  way  ;  and  as 
lemons  unprotected  from  external  moisture  are  prone  to  decay,  and  the 
juice  to  deteriorate,  I  quite  believe  I  have  discovered  a  very  simple,  inex- 
pensive process,  by  which  the  medical  profession  can  secure  lemons  during 
the  season  of  plenty,  and  lay  up  with  a  little  care  a  store  of  fresh  lemon- 
juice  for  the  feverish  patient  at  all  seasons  of  the  year. 
To  the  housewife  who  desires  to  use  the  peel  for  flavoring,  by  simply 
kneading  the  elastic  lemons  in  the  hands,  the  skin  of  shellac  readily  peels 
off,  and  leaves  the  rind  quite  unimpaired. 
I  am  your  obedient  servant, 
George  Mee. 
8,  Torrington  Place,  Gordon  Square.  W.  C ., 
Sih  June,  1866. 
— Lond.  Pharm.  Jour.,  JulyJ  1866. 
Chlorate  of  Quinine. — Mr.  C.  R.  C.  Tichborne,  having  been  requested  by 
Dr.  Lyons  to  prepare  him  some  pure  chlorate  of  quinine,  found  that  this 
salt  could  be  best  prepared  from  chlorate  of  barium.  He  describes  its 
characters  as  follows  : — When  crystallized  frem  a  watery  solution  it  forms 
small  mushroom-shaped  masses,  which,  on  examination,  are  found  to  con- 
sist of  filiform  snowy-white  crystals  radiating  from  a  centre.  Crystallized 
from  a  spirituous  solution,  it  resembles  more  the  ordinary  salts  of  quinine 
in  appearance.  Heated  gently  upon  a  spatula,  it  gradually  melts,  and  after 
a  little  time  goes  off  with  a  vivid  combustion,  which,  if  the  salt  is  dry,  some- 
times amounts  to  an  explosion.  A  carbonaceous  residue  is  left.  Treated 
with  hydrochloric  acid  and  gently  warmed,  it  evolves  chlorine  copiously, 
which  may  be  recognized  by  its  smell.  On  adding  ammonia  in  excess  to  this 
mixture  an  emerald-green  color  is  developed.  It  is  very  soluble  in  boiling 
water,  but  rather  insoluble  in  cold.  When  pure,  it  crystallizes  with  diffi- 
culty from  this  solution,  but  much  more  readily  if  it  contains  traces  of  any 
of  the  ordinary  salts  of  quinine. — Lond.  Pharm.  Jour.,  August,  1866. 
•  Formation  of  Nitrite  of  Potash. — M.  Woehler  states  that  when  ammonia 
is  decomposed  by  permanganate  of  potash,  the  disengagement  of  nitrogen 
is  very  feeble  ;  and  if  the  liquid  be  filtered  after  decolorization,  the  pres- 
ence of  nitrite  of  potash  in  it  may  be  demonstrated  by  the  evolution  of  ni- 
trous vapors  on  the  addition  of  sulphuric  acid. — London  Pharm.  Journal, 
August,  1866. 
Anti-actinic  Paper. — Obernetter  mixes  an  acid  solution  of  sulphate  of 
quinine  with  some  gum  or  dextrine,  and  paints  the  mixture  over  a  thin 
