194 
SYRUP  OF  ORANGE  FLOWERS. 
lively  into  disuse.  It  is  now  rarely  ordered  in  prescriptions  ex- 
cept by  a  few  medical  men  who  have  experienced  its  thera- 
peutic value  in  certain  nervous  affections.  The  French  employ 
it  very  extensively  as  a  nervine. 
In  conjunction  with  other  appropriate  remedies,  it  not  only 
renders  the  mixture  more  palatable,  but  frequently  also  increases 
the  therapeutic  power  of  the  combination. 
I  would  propose  the  following  formula  for  making  the  syrup, 
which,  I  think,  will  give  satisfaction,  possessing  the  merit  of  sim- 
plicity and  yielding  a  most  excellent  preparation : 
R.  Orange  flower  water  (filtered),  one  pint. 
White  sugar,  in  coarse  powder,  thirty  troy-ounces. 
To  the  orange  flower  in  a  half-gallon  bottle  add  the  sugar,  and 
shake  frequently  until  dissolved,  and  strain  through  muslin.  If 
it  is  desired  to  finish  the  syrup  quickly,  the  solution  of  the  sugar 
may  be  facilitated  by  placing  the  bottle,  tightly  corked,  in  warm 
water,  not  too  hot,  and  agitating  it  occasionally.  But  heat  should 
not  be  employed  when  it  can  be  avoided.  In  warm  weather  it 
is  never  necessary. 
When  the  demand  for  the  syrup  is  limited,  I  would  advise 
that  what  is  not  required  for  immediate  use  be  at  once  trans- 
ferred to  small  bottles,  filled  to  the  cork,  sealed  and  kept  in  a 
cool  dark  place,  which  I  have  no  doubt  will  insure  the  preserva- 
tion of  the  aroma  and  flavor  of  the  syrup  for  a  long  time.  With- 
out this  precaution,  however,  the  syrup  will  keep  well.  A  sam- 
ple in  the  possession  of  the  writer,  made  about  the  15th  of  last 
September,  is  now  apparently  in  excellent  condition,  showing  no 
evidence  of  change,  and  with  its  odor  and  flavor  preserved  in 
great  perfection  ;  while  a  very  carefully  prepared  sample,  made 
in  strict  conformity  to  the  officinal  formula,  began  to  change  and 
loose  its  odor  in  about  two  months  after  it  was  made;  both 
samples  being  kept  together  on  the  upper  shelf  in  his  store-room. 
The  yield  of  the  above  formula  is  about  thirty-six  fluidounces, 
and  consequently  contains  sixteen  thirty-sixths  or  nearly  one- 
half  of  its  bulk  of  orange  flower  water,  while  that  of  the  officinal 
formula  contains  but  five  fluidounces  of  the  latter  in  forty-four 
fluidounces  of  the  syrup,  or  about  one-ninth  of  its  measure. 
To  produce  a  nicely  flavored  syrup  it  is  absolutely  necessary 
